Kerala dailies print ‘news’ on end to paper currency, readers fooled by ad

Kerala dailies print ‘news’ on end to paper currency, readers fooled by ad

Mangalore Today News Network

Kerala, January 25, 2025: Readers of several Malayalam newspapers were left flummoxed on the  morning of January 24, Friday, by a bizarre news report on their front page about the impending ‘ban on currency notes’ and ‘shift to digital currency’. The news item displayed as lead, quoting the Reserve Bank of India, was one among the futuristic reports from the year 2050 as part of a marketing campaign of a private university which organised a future summit and carried on the first page.

At least 12 Malayalam newspapers carried these identical features to promote an event conducted by Jain Deemed-to-be University, Kochi. The report on the move to digital currency was even discussed as real news by a news anchor on a morning show, creating further confusion.

Though the reports were marked as a ‘marketing feature’ in the top right corner, designed using a different font, and accompanied by a warning snippet on the side, which flagged them as fictitious, many readers fell for the ‘news’ on digital currency, especially as it quoted the Prime Minister without naming him. Though the report included quotes from fictitious figures such as ‘Finance Minister Rajeev Singh’, ‘RBI Governor Dr Aravind Kumar’, and ‘Leader of Opposition Anjali Mehra’, it did little to alleviate the concerns of some readers, who connected it to the overnight demonetisation in 2016.

Leading newspapers such as Manorama, Mathrubhumi, Kerala Kaumudi, Chandrika, Madhyamam, Suprabhatam, Mangalam, Veekshanam, Janmabhoomi and Deepika carried the marketing feature on their front pages on Friday. Consequently, Malayalam social media erupted with discussions on how the ad was misleading and could amplify the eroding trust in print media.

Reports on the first anniversary of the swearing in of the first robotic minister CK-50 in Kerala Cabinet, inauguration of the first city under sea, an interplanetary football tournament, a landslide averted by AI and a decision of world leaders to withdraw border security forces, were also part of marketing features but it was the report on digital currency that created confusion. This was despite a box news in the corner with the title ‘munnariyippu’ (warning) stating it was done as part of the promotion of the summit.

Reporter TV consulting editor Arun Kumar presented it as one of the lead news of the day in his morning show where newspaper reports are discussed. It was only after several minutes into the show that Arun Kumar said the news wasn’t real.

Many opined in social media that the newspapers went overboard with the ad. "I have been a journalist for 29 years. If it can confuse me, I wonder how many of Manorama readers were confused and panicked after reading the news! To my understanding, it blurs all ethics of journalism and advertisement. It is doing a great disservice to the readers. Maybe I’m stupid, not intelligent enough to know the latest marketing techniques. I was fooled. Thank you, Manorama. Keep making money at the expense of the hapless readers who buy your newspaper to know NEWS with their hard-earned money," wrote journalist Binu Mathew on Facebook. He wrote that the report panicked him and made him check with reliable websites and other journalists for confirmation.

"So, I opened today’s Mathrubhumi, and it’s wild. One article is about an interplanetary football match on Mars—Earth apparently won despite the gravity. Another one celebrates the first anniversary of Kerala’s robot minister. And then there’s India ditching paper notes for cryptocurrency. I kept looking for a "this is satire" disclaimer or something, but nope. Did I miss a memo, or did Mathrubhumi accidentally time travel? Someone tell me you saw this too," wrote a Reddit user nandu8701. Another one commented that his mother fell for the digital currency news.

“Just when you think the Mallu press has hit rock bottom they somehow manage to use explosives to make the hole deeper. Even Manorama has done this by the way,” wrote a X user ‘Backwater Discourse’.

Some on social media lauded Deshabhimani and English newspapers for not carrying the advertising features masquerading as news.

The Kerala Vyapari Vtavasai Ekopana Samiti in a statement said the front page advertising features masquerading as news regarding the ban on currency notes was shocking. Samiti president SS Manoj said that the ad misused government offices and constitutional bodies like the Reserve Bank of India, causing concerns in the state’s financial sector. He also said the organisation would take legal action against the University, which brought out these advertisements.