We are living in a connected world. A world where news spreads in a second. Thanks to the internet and our smartphone. Our confirmation bias and group thinking take over our consciousness.
Nobody cares about the authenticity of the source. All we care about attaching ourselves and our emotions. As a result like a headless chicken, we join the noise.
India has witnessed riot, killing because of the spread of these fake news and information.
Fuzzing data is a widely known practice in the research industry. A trial on dozen-odd samples results in writing a lengthy paper. Media likes sensations they love publishing such stories.
Look for the sample size and exclusions from these popular research https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/popular
Other bigger impact of fudging data is propaganda.
Another one: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/news/gigs-are-hot-jobs-are-not-4408083/