The Explainer Fake News Police has continued to rove cyberspace with the objective of detecting and debunking different shades of fake news, misinformation and disinformation. At the last count three different fake news content being circulated on Whatsapp and Facebook were flagged by our agile detectives. The very first which is trending on Whatsapp (see images below) claims to be a message from the Ministry of Health in Nigeria. The message is presented to unsuspecting Whatsapp users in audio and text versions.
It reads: “Please nobody should be outside by midnight at 10:00pm, today. Lock up your door and window. Don’t leave your clothes or shoes outside. federal government have announce the plan to spray chemicals on air tonight with private jet to protect the country because of the CORONAVIRUS. PLEASE BE WARN. Signs. Ministry of health. Please forward to families and friends.” Apart from the horrible grammatical construction of the message, fact checks by The Explainer on the website of respective agencies put a lie to the claims that “Federal Government will spray chemicals on the air tonight.”
The second fake news apprehended by our detectives is a content circulating on facebook purporting to be a letter from the government of Kenya urging landlords not to collect rent for 90 days (three months) due to the outbreak of Corona Virus. The Explainer fact checks on Kenya government websites and credible information sites, show no such communication. The next piece of misinformation apprehended by our detectives is a graphic with the corporate symbol of the South African Department of Health. This particular fake graphic makes the claims that the “Department of Health in South Africa urges those who are in romantic relationships to dump their partners with immediate effect and to try by all means to distance themselves from sexual activities.” Again checks on the website of the ministry indicate no such statement was issued. The Explainer Fake News Police will remain on red alert to detect and debunk all forms of misinformation. Beware of fake news, don’t spread it, don’t peddle it!
