Wasi Anjum Mirza

Wasi Anjum Mirza

Editor at SCMP, previously digital verification team at AFP.

About Me

Pakistani currently residing in Hong Kong. Struggling journalist™ interested in politics, society and the failings of our burgeoning information ecosystem.

Somehow made it this far with little to no caffeine, sustained by great banter and terrible zingers. Got to travel a lot as a kid which made me great at comparing and contrasting different lifestyles but equally terrible at making friends.

Unwittingly lived through 9/11, a military dictatorship and now a city with shrinking freedoms. Wistful for the days of no electricity and not staring at this screen. 

Featured Work

Imran Khan's ouster

The first Pakistani premier to be removed through a no-confidence vote and arguably the country's most charismatic leader in four decades, Imran Khan's cult of personality has energised his social media-savvy base, leading to a new wave of targeted misinformation.

Fact Check •

Long-defunct New York Herald did not publish critical cartoon about Pakistan judiciary

Long-defunct New York Herald did not publish critical cartoon about Pakistan judiciary Weeks after Pakistan's top court issued a ruling that led to the removal of former prime minister Imran Khan, posts circulated on social media claiming the New York Herald newspaper published a cartoon depicting Pakistan's judiciary as subservient to Washington. However, the New York Herald newspaper ceased publication in 1924 and the image, which was shared hundreds of times, was digitally altered from a pol
Fact Check •

New Pakistan PM hit by false claim about singer 'serenading him in office'

New Pakistan PM hit by false claim about singer 'serenading him in office' A video has been viewed more than one million times in social media posts that claim it shows a singer serenading Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in his office. The video was shared by opposition politicians who accused the new leader of ignoring the public's troubles. However, the clip shows a performance at Sharif's private residence in November 2021, months before he became prime minister. "The Prime Ministe
Fact Check •

Doctored photo originally shows protesters in Moscow demanding release of Kremlin critic

An image has been shared thousands of times in social media posts alongside a claim it shows an anti-US protest staged in Russia in support of embattled Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan. The posts circulated online after Khan accused Washington of trying to remove him from power, which it denies . But the image has been doctored. The original photo -- captured by the Associated Press news agency -- shows a 2021 protest in the Russian capital Moscow against the detention of Kremlin critic Alexe

'Fall' of Kabul

The Taliban's return to power has once again thrown Afghanistan into disarray, but a new digital age has brought with it an influx of information -- and misinformation -- to the embattled country.

AFP Fact Check •

Old video of woman stoned to death in Afghanistan resurfaces in misleading posts

Old video of woman stoned to death in Afghanistan resurfaces in misleading posts A graphic video that shows a woman stoned to death in Afghanistan has been viewed tens of thousands of times on Twitter alongside a claim it was filmed in November 2021. The clip circulated online almost three months after the Taliban seized power of the country following a nearly 20-year insurgency. But the video has been shared in a misleading context; it shows a woman who was stoned to death in Afghanistan in 2015.
AFP Fact Check •

This video surfaced online years before the Taliban took control of Afghanistan

This video surfaced online years before the Taliban took control of Afghanistan As the Taliban took back power in Afghanistan in August 2021, a video circulated on Facebook and Twitter alongside a claim it shows a commander's message "after liberating" the capital Kabul. But these posts are misleading: the video predates the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021 and has circulated in reports since at least October 2016.

Pakistan's Women's Marches

Doctored placards, edited footage and accusations of religious blasphemy have been frequently deployed in an attempt to malign activists, putting many at risk of retribution from authorities and mob "justice".

Fact Check •

Doctored images circulate after International Women's Day marches in Pakistan

Images that appear to show women holding controversial placards at rallies to mark International Women's Day in deeply conservative Muslim Pakistan have been shared repeatedly on social media. Comments the posts indicated some social media users believed they were genuine. In fact, the images have been digitally doctored to insert controversial message . One image was shared here on Twitter on March 9, 2022 alongside a caption that reads: "Meanwhile #AuratMarch in Pakistan". The placard appear
Fact Check •

Event organisers say the banner shows a message written by a victim of child sexual abuse

Event organisers say the banner shows a message written by a victim of child sexual abuse A photo has been shared multiple times in Facebook and Twitter posts that claim it shows a banner blaspheming the Prophet Mohammed at a recent International Women’s Day march in Pakistan. The claim is false: while the banner was displayed at a women’s march in the Pakistani city of Lahore, event organisers said the message was written by a rape victim sharing her story and does not refer to the Prophet Moh
AFP Fact Check •

This is a flag of a Pakistani feminist organisation — it is purple, not the blue found on the French tricolour flag

Images and videos of activists waving a flag at a Women’s Day March in Pakistan in 2021 have been shared in Facebook, Twitter and YouTube posts that claim that they were waving the French tricolour national flag. The claim is false: the flag seen in the posts represents a Pakistani feminist organization and is red, white and purple — not the French blue, white and red tricolour.