Farhan Virk is a household name in Pakistan's Twittersphere. Considered by many to be a state-sponsored troll, he commands a Twitter army of more than 1,000 volunteers dedicated to spreading hyper-nationalist propaganda. In this episode, investigative filmmaker Hasham Cheema details the inner-workings of Virk's methods, and how Virk's command of the algorithm has impacted Pakistan's democracy.

In this episode: 

Filmmaker Hasham Cheema (@HashamKabir)

For more: 

War, Lies and Hashtags: Pakistan's Twitter Battles

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Twitter (@ajthetake), Instagram (@ajthetake) and Facebook (@TheTakePod).

Farhan Virk is a household name in Pakistan's Twittersphere. Considered by many to be a state-sponsored troll, he commands a Twitter army of more than 1,000 volunteers dedicated to spreading hyper-nationalist propaganda. In this episode, investigative filmmaker Hasham Cheema details the inner-workings of Virk's methods, and how Virk's command of the algorithm has impacted Pakistan's democracy.In this episode: Filmmaker Hasham Cheema (<a href="https://twitter.com/HashamKabir " target="_blank">@HashamKabir</a>)For more: <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/witness/2020/05/war-lies-hashtags-pakistan-twitter-battles-200512080420931.html" target="_blank">War, Lies and Hashtags: Pakistan's Twitter Battles</a>Connect with The Take:&nbsp;Twitter (<a href="https://twitter.com/AJTheTake" target="_blank">@ajthetake</a>), Instagram (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/ajthetake/" target="_blank">@ajthetake</a>) and Facebook (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheTakePod/" target="_blank">@TheTakePod</a>).

The Take is a daily interview-driven international news podcast hosted by award-winning journalist Malika Bilal. Each episode focuses on conversations with journalists and people directly impacted by the news of the day, offering our listeners the context necessary to understand what's in the headlines.

With millions of global listens, it's clear the conversations we're having on The Take are worth hearing. And critics think so too. The show has won the Online Journalism Awards, the Signal Awards, Lovie Awards, and Anthem Awards, among others.

The Take is a daily interview-driven international news podcast hosted by award-winning journalist Malika Bilal. Each episode focuses on conversations with journalists and people directly impacted by the news of the day, offering our listeners the context necessary to understand what's in the headlines.
With millions of global listens, it's clear the conversations we're having on The Take are worth hearing. And critics think so too. The show has won the Online Journalism Awards, the Signal Awards, Lovie Awards, and Anthem Awards, among others.

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