
Conversation with Dr Soumitro Chakrabory, CEO, Fiinovation, on a portal’s malicious attempt to create sensation out of fake news
Sensationalism is
not a new term for the media world and is a successful tool to grab eyeballs of
audience and garner likes.
A CSR portal that
ran a so-called investigative operation against Fiinovation and published a
story in their recent posts is a true example of bogus reporting. Innovative Financial Advisors Pvt. Ltd (Fiinovation), is
a leading CSR consultancy operating in multiple
disciplines of social development sector with emphasis on CSR and
Sustainability. The organisation has grown phenomenally and has carved a niche
for itself in the CSR domain/sector. It started its journey in 2008; the idea
and intention behind establishing the company was to bring about a structural
resource mobilization strategy and a transparent framework for the same.
At the core of
their work is the ability to collaborate with corporations and implementing
partners and leverage the combined capabilities of all stakeholders involved
for maximized impact. Fiinovation creates CSR strategies which are aligned with
the corporations’ values, expectations and vision, and assist in effective
implementation for long-lasting impact. They are also associated with a large
network of civil society organizations and relentlessly work towards bringing
them closer to the CSR paradigm, facilitate conversations and help them forge
partnerships with corporates.
Also, amidst this pandemic, when the world was stuck in lock down, their team was tirelessly working to forge successful partnerships in order to help the community during these unprecedented times.Fiinovation fosters partnership between the private and social sector. Since the outbreak of Covid-19, Fiinovation has partnered with reputed organisations like SMS India, Sandvik Group, Dhampur Sugar, Admitad India and others to implement relief interventions pan-India. These projects aimed at providing relief packages to the marginalized communities during the lock down. The organisation claims to have positively impacted million lives till now through their COVID 19 relief efforts.
The tete-a-tete the portal
claims with no names only adds to one's suspicion on the genuineness of the story. We further did our bit and
researched into the background of the organization and found that claims made
in the story are nothing beyond pseudo journalist’s claim to fame. The story
dropped in some huge number bombs to tarnish the image of the organization
While speaking to Ms Purnima Dubey, COO, Innovative Financial Advisors Pvt. Ltd
(Fiinovation), who was quoted in the story, she said, “I did speak to the Chief
Editor & Managing Director of the portal, and all of their questions
regarding the alleged claims made by one of our clients were answered in
writing along with relevant proofs to present the true picture. I was shocked
to see not only my comments were misquoted but also my words were molded into
something I categorically didn’t mention”.
The
supporting documents that we saw indeed clarifies that the organization has
been a victim of fake news and false allegations in order to harm its
reputation and adversely affect is partnerships with organizations.
We also contacted Dr Soumitro Chakraborty, the
Chief Executive of Innovative Financial Advisors Pvt Ltd (Fiinovation) and
while asking about this episode, he mentioned, “We are indeed shocked by what
has been published but Fiinovation was not born out of someone's greed to
make billions but it was born out of a need to structure the resource framework
of this sector and I think this is worth appreciating. We have initiated
necessary legal procedures against the concerned and I am sure the matter will
be put to rest soon. Also, any organisation’s greatest strength is its stakeholders;
both internal and external - the people who believe in the organisation’s vision
and philosophy. It is not possible for any organization to stand tall for good
12 years and documented success stories, to survive without the support of its
external stakeholders. We started with just five members and today, we are
close to a hundred people. Needless to say, we wouldn’t have come this far with
an intention to cheat”
Fiinovation understands clients can have
grievances but for that they have a dedicated grievance redressal cell. It
would be unfair to harm the reputation and defaming the brand on the basis of a
grievance.
These days with social media being the
strongest mode of communication and information dissemination, it becomes easy
to publish not so authentic stories. It indeed
gives a clear picture and an understanding of the intent of the person behind
it.
It would not be unfair saying that
now whenever we read any new story in media, we can assume that it has a pinch
of salt in it, just to gather and attract audience.
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