False death of an Indian actress - 26th February 2024

An Indian actress is making headlines after an Instagram story wrongly claimed she'd passed away. Many didn't doubt the celebrity's post, including reliable news sites which reported her death from cervical cancer.

The actress, Poonam Pandey, later admitted her aim was to highlight the disease, which kills over 77,000 women in India every year. "Suddenly we all are talking about cervical cancer, aren't we?" she said. Critics, however, believe her motivation was fame and fortune.

Since its early stage symptoms are easy to miss, cervical cancer's been called a 'silent killer'. But despite being the second most common type of cancer in women in India, the disease is preventable. The HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine defends against HPV virus strains which lead to the illness developing.

Meanwhile, a state HPV vaccination programme for girls aged between 9 and 14 is being introduced by the government. This has led some to wonder whether the government backed Pandey's publicity campaign.

While some people appreciate the awareness raised by the post, others are offended by its carelessness, calling it distasteful. On both sides, people have spoken out about relatives who've died from the disease.

This isn't the first scandal involving the 32 year old celebrity. In 2011, Pandey declared she'd go naked if the Indian cricket team triumphed in the world cup. Following negative feedback, she decided against going through with her plan.

This time it's not just Pandey being criticised. Journalists who reported on the actress's apparent death were also accused of failing to fact check the source. Mumbai based PR company Schbang, which handles Pandey's media relations, was forced to apologise, and a major client, the US pharma company Merck Sharp and Dohme, cut ties with the firm.

Following the incident, Google searches for cervical cancer did rise - yet many question whether the ends justify the means.