Thanks, this is very helpful. It would be wild if this was a very carefully crafted campaign meant to bait The Wire into blowing itself up over an almost-true but totally fake news story. Now I really want to know where this all ends up.

I was sympathetic that they were getting played when the first story came out but after they doubled down on it not once but twice, and seeing the “evidence” they’re putting out, it appears that at least one of their employees is in on the fabrication and regardless the whole outlet is willing to ignore basic journalistic standards in reporting this story.

If the story is false, it's not just the source, at least the tech person making the videos at Wire is in on it.

Fwiw Devesh Kumar has to be in on the fabrication given that he provided an impossible story as to why the email screenshots they initially posted showed 2021 (impossible because the day of the week didn’t match the displayed date, indicating the screenshot was fabricated).

It also takes a special level of suspension of disbelief to think that Andy Stone somehow writes emails in Indian English and that XCheck gives privileges to takedown content from other users.

The wire is notorious for propoganda hit pieces in Indian political landscape. Based kn conversation is not enough merit when you see kind of reports the wire dishes out.