Category Archives: Fake News

Dele Alake, a former Lagos commissioner of information and strategy, says he has not been appointed as the spokesperson of President Bola Tinubu.

Hours after the inauguration on Monday, Femi Fani-Kayode, former minister of aviation, announced on his Twitter handle that Alake has been appointed as the presidents spokesperson.

But speaking on the issue with TheCable, the former director of strategic communication of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign, said the news of his appointment was fake.

It was fake news. Im always surprised when news people failed to recognise fake unsigned stories, Alake said.

Alake was the commissioner for information and strategy in Lagos between 1999 and 2007 when Tinubu was the governor of the state.

In 2014, he was appointed as the director of media and communication of the Buhari campaign organisation his return to national politics after a brief hiatus from public roles.

As a journalist, Alake worked with Concord Press publishers as a writer and editor. After a year, he became a columnist in the National Concord and served in that capacity until 1989.

He was appointed editor of Sunday Concord in the same year and held the position till 1995 before becoming the editor of the National Concord.

See original here:

'Fake news' -- Dele Alake debunks reports of appointment as ... - TheCable

The National Pension Commission (PenCom) says it is not currently recruiting.

In a statement on Tuesday, PenCom said its attention has been drawn to a news website claiming that the agency has commenced its recruitment exercise for the year.

The commission said the information is entirely false and intended to mislead the public.

PenCom said it would communicate to the public, through the proper channels, when it begins any such exercise.

The attention of the National Pension Commission (PenCom or Commission) has been drawn to the misleading publication on http://www.recruitmentfile.net alleging that the Commission has commenced recruitment exercise for 2023/2024, the statement reads.

The publication further states that suitable candidates are to submit their applications through a recruitment portal on the Commissions website.

The general public is kindly requested to note that the publication is entirely false and that no such exercise is underway.

The Commission invites the general public to further note that all credible information about its activities is available on its website (www.pencom.gov.ng) and its social media handles (Facebook: @PenCom.gov; and Twitter: @PenComNig).

The Commission has in the meantime reported the website to the relevant authorities for appropriate action.

Visit link:

FAKE NEWS ALERT: We are not recruiting, PenCom tells jobseekers - TheCable

The Department of State Services (DSS) has urged the media and civil society organisations (CSOs) to shun fake news, false alarms, and sensationalism ahead of the May 29 inauguration.

In a statement on Thursday, Peter Afunanya, DSS spokesperson, said the call was to guard against reports that could inflame division, tension and violence prior to and after the inauguration.

Afunanya said the service was aware of plans by subversive elements to disrupt the programme in parts of the country.

The aim is to undermine security agencies efforts at ensuring peaceful ceremonies and create panic and fear among members of the public, Afunanya said.

Based on these, citizens, the media and Civil Society Organisations are advised to adhere strictly to security and civil protocols during the events.

They are also urged to shun fake news, false alarms, skewed reportage/narratives and sensationalism that may likely inflame division, tension and violence prior to and after the exercises.

The DSS spokesperson said undesirable acts would serve no purpose other than destroying national unity and cohesion.

Additinally, all unauthorised and non accredited persons are warned to stay away from restricted and certain designated areas at the inauguration venues, he said.

He called on the public to remain calm and law abiding, adding that the DSS would continue to sustain collaboration with sister agencies to ensure successful inauguration ceremonies nationwide

Read the original post:

May 29: DSS warns against fake news, says there are plans to ... - TheCable

USC researchers may have found the biggest influencer in the spread of fake news:social platforms structure of rewarding users for habitually sharing information.

The teams findings, published Monday by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, upend popular misconceptions that misinformation spreads because users lack the critical thinking skills necessary for discerning truth from falsehood or because their strong political beliefs skew their judgment.

Just 15% of the most habitual news sharers in the research were responsible for spreading about 30% to 40% of the fake news.

The research team from the USC Marshall School of Business and the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences wondered: What motivates these users? As it turns out, much like any video game, social media has a rewards system that encourages users to stay on their accounts and keep posting and sharing. Users who post and share frequently, especially sensational, eye-catching information, are likely to attract attention.

Due to the reward-based learning systems on social media, users form habits of sharing information that gets recognition from others, the researchers wrote. Once habits form, information sharing is automatically activated by cues on the platform without users considering critical response outcomes, such as spreading misinformation.

Posting, sharing and engaging with others on social media can, therefore, become a habit.

[Misinformation is] really a function of the structure of the social media sites themselves.

Wendy Wood, USC expert on habits

Our findings show that misinformation isnt spread through a deficit of users. Its really a function of the structure of the social media sites themselves, said Wendy Wood, an expert on habits and USC emerita Provost Professor of psychology and business.

The habits of social media users are a bigger driver of misinformation spread than individual attributes. We know from prior research that some people dont process information critically, and others form opinions based on political biases, which also affects their ability to recognize false stories online, said Gizem Ceylan, who led the study during her doctorate at USC Marshall and is now a postdoctoral researcher at the Yale School of Management. However, we show that the reward structure of social media platforms plays a bigger role when it comes to misinformation spread.

In a novel approach, Ceylan and her co-authors sought to understand how the reward structure of social media sites drives users to develop habits of posting misinformation on social media.

Overall, the study involved 2,476 active Facebook users ranging in age from 18 to 89 who volunteered in response to online advertising to participate. They were compensated to complete a decision-making survey approximately seven minutes long.

Surprisingly, the researchers found that users social media habits doubled and, in some cases, tripled the amount of fake news they shared. Their habits were more influential in sharing fake news than other factors, including political beliefs and lack of critical reasoning.

Frequent, habitual users forwarded six times more fake news than occasional or new users.

This type of behavior has been rewarded in the past by algorithms that prioritize engagement when selecting which posts users see in their news feed, and by the structure and design of the sites themselves, said second author Ian A. Anderson, a behavioral scientist and doctoral candidate at USC Dornsife. Understanding the dynamics behind misinformation spread is important given its political, health and social consequences.

In the first experiment, the researchers found that habitual users of social media share both true and fake news.

In another experiment, the researchers found that habitual sharing of misinformation is part of a broader pattern of insensitivity to the information being shared. In fact, habitual users shared politically discordant news news that challenged their political beliefs as much as concordant news that they endorsed.

Lastly, the team tested whether social media reward structures could be devised to promote sharing of true over false information. They showed that incentives for accuracy rather than popularity (as is currently the case on social media sites) doubled the amount of accurate news that users share on social platforms.

The studys conclusions:

These findings suggest that social media platforms can take a more active step than moderating what information is posted and instead pursue structural changes in their reward structure to limit the spread of misinformation.

About the study:The research was supported and funded by the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Department of Psychology, the USC Marshall School of Business and the Yale University School of Management.

More stories about: Digital Media, Research, Social Media

Follow this link:

Study reveals key reason why fake news spreads on social media

Rob Gronkowski shuts down rumors of Bill Belichick shopping Mac Jones: 'I think that was fake news'  Fox News

Excerpt from:

Rob Gronkowski shuts down rumors of Bill Belichick shopping Mac Jones: 'I think that was fake news' - Fox News

Fake cop arrested after attempting traffic stop of real cop  The Mercury News

Read this article:

Fake cop arrested after attempting traffic stop of real cop - The Mercury News

False information is being spread: Officials on fake news over attack on Bihari migrant workers in Tamil Nadu  India Today

See the original post:

False information is being spread: Officials on fake news over attack on Bihari migrant workers in Tamil Nadu - India Today

Thanks for signing up!

Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. download the app

In 2019, many Facebook users saw news posts that claimed President Donald Trump's grandfather was, "a pimp and tax evader," and that his father was a member of the KKK none of which is true.

Facebook's 2 billion-plus users also had access to a post claiming that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez proposed a ban on motorcycles (she didn't), and that House speaker Nancy Pelosi was diverting Social Security funding for the Trump impeachment inquiry (she wasn't).

These are just a few of the most-shared political fake news stories of 2019, according to a new study from the non-profit Avaaz. The top 100 fake news stories on Facebook in 2019 were viewed over 150 million times "enough to reach every registered voter at least once," according to the report.

Here are the top 10 fake-news stories of 2019:

View post:

These Were the 10 Most-Viewed Fake News Stories on Facebook in 2019

TOTALLY NOT FAKE NEWS: The Texans Off-Season Off to a Fast and Furious Start...  Battle Red Blog

View original post here:

TOTALLY NOT FAKE NEWS: The Texans Off-Season Off to a Fast and Furious Start... - Battle Red Blog

What would happen if a space rock crashed into your town? Find out with this simulator  CW39 Houston

Continued here:

What would happen if a space rock crashed into your town? Find out with this simulator - CW39 Houston