Category Archives: Fake News

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez on Saturday said the possibility of extending the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Metro Manila for another three weeks is not yet on the table.

Interviewed on Dobol B TV, Lopez said the speculations of a five-week ECQ are mere rumors and fake news since the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) has not discussed any possible extension of the hard lockdown yet.

Wala pang ganoong usapan. In fact, hanggang August 20 lang yung napag-agreehan, he said.

(It hasnt been discussed. In fact, what has been agreed upon is until August 20 only.)

The National Capital Region (NCR) is under ECQ the strictest quarantine level from August 6 to 20.

In a statement, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry acting president Edgardo Lacson said, Mere mention of lockdown stokes greater fear than the infection from COVID-19. Another five-week lockdown could be the proverbial last straw on the camels back. It will wipe out the temporary economic gains we earned in between lockdowns and could stop the momentum of business from moving forward.

Lacson hopes that the planned five-week lockdown is just an overreaction to the rising cases of the Delta variant.

The Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines, likewise, said that an extended lockdown will aggravate theundue hardship and suffering of our people who have yet to recover from the ill effects of the pandemic.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said it is still "too early" to discuss whether or not the ECQ in Metro Manila will be extended.

Lopez said the Department of Health (DOH) only presented scenarios of possible rise in COVID-19 cases during varying weeks of community quarantines.

The DOH, last Saturday, presented how many active cases will be in Metro Manila in relation to the varying durations and levels of community quarantine by the end of September.

Nonetheless, the Trade chief assured that the government will balance health and economy in its decisions.

Lopez earlier proposed to place NCR under modified ECQ and granular lockdowns after August 20 to balance the economy and livelihoods to health risks arising from the surge in COVID-19 cases due to the threat of the more contagious Delta variant.

The economic loss per week due to varying levels of strict quarantine modes is estimated at P150 billion, according to the National Economic and Development Authority.KG, GMA News

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Five weeks ECQ in Metro Manila? DTI chief says its fake news - GMA News Online

Greek Government spokesperson Aristotelia Peloni demanded the immediate cessation of fake news circulating on the internet about the fires and the suggestion that she has been holidaying in Cuba during this period.

Stop the fake news at last! We are all here and I categorically deny anything else. At this critical time, it is the choice of the government for the information to be operational and to be done by Mr. Hardalias twice a day she said, hoping to clarify why her perceived absence might have been exploited by anti-government circles.

In another post, Peloni adds: Please stop spreading false news about Cuba and other nonsense. Now is the time for battle. Well deal with the rest another time.

According to reports, 23 people were evacuated from various beaches, and were transported to Pefki, the northernmost part of the island away from the fires.

As Greek news agency ANA reported, three PA ships, two ships and two vessels of the Hellenic Navy, ferries, private and fishing vessels are on standby on the western shore of Evia.

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"STOP THE FAKE NEWS" Demands Greek Government Spokesperson Accused Of Holidaying In Cuba During - GreekCityTimes.com

As we prepared for another lockdown and everyone worried about what the next few weeks would hold, what we needed most of all was reliable news sources to help us understand the restrictions, what to expect, and what to prepare for.

Unfortunately getting reliable news in an age of social media and misinformation isnt always the easiest thing to do. We see examples of this more and more every day.

Sadly, this is something that we are going to have to deal with moving forward, and something we need to mitigate. Its harder for the masses to wade through conflicting news sources and discern which is real and which is fake. If they read something online, more often than not they are going to believe it to be true.

We saw this last week because fake news proliferated on social media that was linking vaccinations toayuda. Because of this highly circulated rumor, people rushed to vaccine drive locations in droves, tossing social distancing caution to the wind just to be able to get their shots. These mass super spreader events are going to be a problem moving forward when it comes to containing the virus and the deadly new Delta variant.

After all, coming into close contact with hundreds of unvaccinated people outside of your home is the opposite of what the lockdown is trying to achieve. And the worst part is that we wont even see the impact of these events for another few weeks. The Delta variant takes around five days to manifest. A lot of people wont even notice immediately because the symptoms arent as stark and recognizable as the original COVID strain.

So all of those people who went to get vaccinated could potentially head home and infect their whole household and all the people they work with. This will cause a mass spread of the virus, which is what the quarantine was implemented to avoid. I guess we are going to have to wait and see what happens in the next few weeks.

Fake news has been an ongoing problem on social media, especially in the Philippines, where rumors spread like wildfire. Especially now coming into an election year. We are going to see more malicious fake news cropping up alongside rumors and honest mistakes that netizens share because they believe them to be true. Now, more than ever, we have to be careful when it comes to believing and ultimately sharing what we read online.

Its understandably really tiring at this point. Alongside worrying about the new Delta variant, rising cases, and overflowing hospitals and COVID-19 wards, we also have to be careful about the news we receive and everything shared with us on social media. The best bet for people is to consume news from trusted sources and take everything else with a grain of salt until confirmed.

We arent going to make any progress on bringing our numbers down and bolstering our vaccination efforts if we arent on the same page and we cant be on the same page if we all believe different things. Fortunately, the fake news from last week was corrected quickly, but the damage had already been done. By Friday, lines at vaccination sites were more manageable, and hopefully what happened on Thursday doesnt happen again.

At the same time though, we cant let this deter our vaccination efforts. Hopefully, more and more Filipinos understand that vaccination is still our best way forward. We have to carefully and safely keep the vaccination drive aggressive and moving. We all need to do our part and get vaccinated.

For now, we need to be extremely careful and focus on our families and our safety. We are into the first week of our lockdown, and even with these new strict regulations in place, we are still expecting to see case numbers rise. Things will get harder before they get better, but we cant get discouraged because the only way to get through is to go through it. For now, we need to stay home, practice all of our safety protocols, and try our best to keep going.

* * *

Fake news is a big problem, but the issue that the news highlighted last week is also an issue of concern. People flocked to vaccination centers because they believed that vaccines were related to gettingayudaduring the quarantine. While that turned out to be false, the throngs of worried citizens only highlight how many people are in need during these difficult times.

Now is the time to provide help to those who need it most. Our government can implement lockdown after lockdown, but they cant leave people with no help. Especially now with jobs being affected and families finding it difficult to get necessities and put food on the table.

The harsh reality is that many Filipinos cant afford to stay home because they need to find a way to earn to take care of their families. Hopefully, with the vaccine fake news having been sorted, the government can focus on what really matters and thats how they will be providing help andayudato Filipinos during these difficult times.

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Living in the time of fake news - Philstar.com

A Cambodian mum and child beam for the camera.

A report this week in the Phnom Penh Post, repeated by some Thai media, that Cambodia is the fourth friendliest country in the world for expats in 2021 was trashed after Expat Insider said that the country did not even appear in their research. Expat Insider, published by InterNations, reviews annually what expats think of their host country in various categories (quality of life, medical services, job satisfaction etc) in countries round the world.Kalena Harris, a communications manager from InterNations, responded to a query from Pattaya Mail, Cambodia wasnt included in this years report as we require at least 50 responses from expats. Cambodia last appeared in 2017 when it was indeed graded very favourably for friendliness.

Thailand did appear in the 2021 survey and was graded 14th for expat living. The country scored well on the quality of medical services and the standard of living. Surprisingly, 82 percent said they were happy with their leisure activities although the research was conducted in January 2021 before the mammoth shutdown on fun really got into its swing.

However, Thailand scored badly on the environment and on political stability with responders apparently moaning about smog and the threat of coups. They also grumbled about limited job opportunities linked to restrictive visa and immigration rules. However, the Expat Insider only processed just under 13,000 expat replies worldwide which means the report was based on a very small sample of people living abroad.

The best regarded country in the world, according to the report, was Taiwan where not a single expat said he or she felt unsafe. This is certainly surprising as the off-shore island is forever being threatened by China with fire and brimstone. The bottom three countries were Kuwait, Italy and South Africa. So best tear up your job application forms to those dark places.

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Cambodia friendliness compared to Thailand shown to be fake news - Pattaya Mail

Kiara Sunder

Kiara Sunder is a clinical psychologist at Netcare Akeso Umhlanga

First published in the Daily Maverick 168 weekly newspaper.

Many individuals sharing misinformation are naively unaware that they are doing so. Then there are those who do it knowingly as a means of satisfying underlying social needs or political agendas. These motives are multilayered, but there is a common factor that leads to fake news doing harm, and that is a strong societal trust in online sources.

Misplaced trust

Historically, news was received in print or broadcast format, which the public trusted as having been researched and verified. Now, obtaining news online on social media and communication apps from various, often unofficial sources, including individuals, has become the norm for many people.

The internet has given a voice to everyone. While beneficial, it means that a great deal of information is shared unchecked. Digital illiteracy is of growing concern, and is particularly prevalent among older generations.

Younger people who have grown up with technology have high levels of digital literacy built into their cognitive framework for organising information. This gives them a certain level of built-in understanding about what is and is not real online. Conversely, older individuals who have had to learn technology later in life tend to be more trusting.

Many internet users believe that anything published online, such as information from a trusted contact, must be true.

Motives behind fake news

A broad spectrum of motives drives people to create and share misinformation. Some are less obvious and there are some clear psychological motivations that can be observed.

Social status seeking

These users may not be aware of the motives but are, in fact, seeking status and self-promotion, indicating that some emotional needs are not being met in real life.

Being relevant: Many individuals feel constantly bombarded by social media posts of friends and influencers who appear to be highly successful. This can lead to feelings of inadequacy. They therefore turn to sharing other types of information, regardless of accuracy, to have something to say.

Being the first: Some feel the pressure to post or share any new piece of information, true or false, first. This can be a type of social gratification to be seen as a protector of ones online community.

Anxiety outlet: Some people suffering from anxiety and mental-health conditions use social media as an escape or to process their feelings.

Escape: Many individuals experience anxiety from daily news. They may choose to switch off and consume social media instead. However, this can lead to engaging in intrusive and factually baseless content without realising it.

Expression: Some individuals feel validated when sharing a post or message that reflects their own feelings or fears, even if the information may not be true.

Group mentality: Needing to feel that you are not alone and connecting via social media and communication apps can be harmful when misinformation, which speaks to the common fears of groups of people who already feel nervous or threatened, is spread thereby fuelling panic and confusion.

Confirmation bias

Validation is a motivating factor among those who spread fake news often, particularly those who buy into alternative views.

Lack of objectivity: When we read, hear or view information that confirms our own beliefs, we feel validated by it and may accept it as being true. People who place their own beliefs above verified, factual information are therefore highly susceptible to spreading, and often even creating, fake news, as their ideologies are not widely reflected in the media, leading them to feel unsupported in their thoughts.

Technology overlap: Algorithms in search engines and social media platforms track the content we consume and push similar content towards us, which informs much of what we see, again confirming belief or preference rather than fact.

Self-serving intentions

People who create and knowingly spread fake news will often have a political or psychological agenda that they are trying to advance. They may intend to do harm or are so single-minded in their pursuit that they have no regard for any damage they may cause.

Politically motivated: This includes those working for a specific cause that is not receiving the attention they feel it deserves, or who may have intent to do damage to another person or group.

Histrionics: People with histrionic personality traits, who crave attention and drama, may create or share a sensational piece of information, sometimes using capital letters, exclamation marks or emojis to make it appear dramatic. They may relate to it for attention or create some attention toward themselves.

Narcissists: These personalities may share information to appear important and knowledgeable. They may be self-centred, have less empathy and desire admiration. They may share news, fake or true, that puts the spotlight on them regardless of the consequences.

Financial gain

Criminals targeting vulnerable individuals can use fake news to spread the word about sought-after opportunities, for example scams. Unsuspecting individuals are asked to pay some fee with the promise of earnings or other financial rewards in return.

Such fraudulent activity is often disguised as a highly legitimate-looking advert or form of communication. Persons targeted may feel pressured by the ambiguity of the situation. Not knowing how to verify the information, victims may fall prey to the scam, resulting in serious financial loss.

Without healthy coping mechanisms, people are likely to lash out at others or latch on to harmful online trends. Such behaviour can result in online bullying, reputational damage, financial loss, physical violence, and confusion and disruption.

Psycho-social considerations

Understanding the impact of consuming and sharing unverified information is an important part of conversations between parents or guardians and children. As well as online predators and bullies, children need to be made aware of the dangers of fake news.

Communicate and emphasise that you trust your child, but not the online world. Helping children to understand the societal dangers and letting them talk openly, before doing so online, will go a long way towards protecting them now and in the future. DM168

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper which is available for R25 at Pick n Pay, Exclusive Books and airport bookstores. For your nearest stockist, please click here.

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Digital illiteracy: Some of the psychological motives behind the spreading of harmful fake news - Daily Maverick

Qatar has been a target of a number of sinister online manipulation campaigns aimed to spark political instability in the country.

A video of armed men firing machine guns in the sky has sparked widespread controversy on social media after suspicious accounts falsely claimed it was filmed in Qatar during a protest against the upcoming Shura Council election.

The video was posted on Twitter by an account under the name World Council for Youth ( ) which claims to be a non-governmental council that does not belong to any organisation and is personally funded.

The tweet read that the gunmen in the video are from tribes gathering to attack the Amiri Diwan in Doha, accusing Al Jazeera of burying the event by refusing to report the incident. The tweet also claimed that Qatars amir disappeared, in yet another dubious attempt to spread misinformation in the Gulf state.

#Qatar_Revolts #BREAKING: Heavy gunfire as tribes gather to attack the Amiri Diwan and brotherhood channel, Al Jazeera is burying the event. The Amir has disappeared, the tweet read.

The video filmed a night shows a hazy image of a lit building that is considerably smaller than the Amiri Diwan in Doha, while surrounded by heavy gunfire and dozens of cars. Men that appear in the video are clearly wearing T-shirts, not the white robes that is donned by Qatari men. One of the characters seen in the video is also clearly chewing Qat a stimulant that is traditionally used by Yemenis and is banned in Qatar itself.

Shortly after it emerged under the hashtag, an AFP fact-checking service confirmed the video was filmed at a wedding in the Henin Valley area, located in Hadramout in Yemen, which was posted on YouTube in February 2020.

Despite heavy backlash from social media users, the account has yet to delete the fake video, but rather retweeted it hours later in what seemed like an attempt to further spark provocation.

The same account has also been sharing a number of fabricated information using several anti-Qatar hashtags to amplify fake news.

Qatar is no stranger to sinister online manipulation campaigns and propaganda.

In recent months, several anti-Qatar hashtags have trended in Qatar as the Gulf nation edges closer to its first historic Shura Council elections in October.

New data analysis obtained by Doha News revealed how hashtags have involved thousands of dubious accounts and suspected bots designed to disseminate and amplify information critical of the Gulf state.

The data, which examines nearly 100,000 tweets, identified several highly active users that produced thousands of tweets featuring specific hashtags in an unusual period of time, all of which attempt to promote alleged public dissatisfaction towards Qatars government.

Among the most recent of hashtags is #Qatar_Revolts which attempts to exaggerate small-scale demonstrations launched by a tribe protesting against the exclusion of Qataris deemed ineligible to vote, as per current law.

Investigation: The clandestine operation to manipulate Qatars public opinion

The hashtag is carried and amplified by two particular hacked but verified accounts one belonging to ABC News producer Joel Zander and the other Indian linked to entrepreneur Ishita Anand. While both personas are not known to engage in such internal Qatari politics, their tweets were retweeted by hundreds of other fake accounts.

In the same month, #The_People_Boycott_Shura_Elections was a number one trending topic that surfaced on Sunday 1 August, coinciding with the first day that voters in Qatar could register for the October elections.

Read also: Nationality debate sparks ahead of Qatars Shura Council elections

While hashtags trend on Twitter if they are used by thousands of social media users, or if sponsored by a particular company, or if Twitter itself whose MENA office is based in the United Arab Emirates pushes it to the forefront, thisparticular hashtag reached to the top of the list despite only being used in one tweet.

Last year, several accounts had also spread rumours of a military coup in Qatar and fabricated statements from global rights organisations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW).

Those videos were doctored and incorporated clips and audios from different countries, including China and Saudi Arabia none from Qatar.

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Fake news: 'Gunshots outside Amiri Diwan' video is actually wedding in Yemen - Doha News

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis knocked back reports that he "softened" his stance on sanctions over mask mandates in schools.

Some news outlets, including The Miami Herald and Politico, reported on Friday that DeSantis had "softened" or "backpedaled" on his "threats" to cut pay to school superintendents and board members who insisted on mask mandates for children. The reports claimed that DeSantis "backed down" after the Alachua and Broward school districts remained "defiant," and that his office "admitted" the governor had no control over local employees pay.

However, DeSantis never made any such claim to cut pay directly.

DESANTIS: BIDEN OBSESSED WITH FLORIDA WHILE USHERING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ACROSS SOUTHERN BORDER

As Fox News reported earlier this week, the governors plan was to withhold funding to districts that equals the amount of salaries for the Superintendent and members of school boards.

"The state does not, and has never, managed the payroll for local officials," DeSantis spokesperson Christina Pushaw said in a statement. "Therefore, the only way the state could ever tailor the financial penalties to hold accountable the few officials who made the decision to break the law, would be to withhold state funding in the exact amount of those officials salaries."

"That was the plan since the initial statement from our office came out a week ago and it has not changed because this is (has always been) the extent of what the state can do in terms of tailoring sanctions," Pushaw added.

She labeled reports that claimed the governor has "softened" his stance as "fake news."

LINCOLN PROJECT MOCKED FOR LATEST PSYCHOTIC AD AGAINST DESANTIS AND ABBOTT

Pushaw told Fox News that the board of education will hold an emergency meeting next Tuesday to discuss Corcorans findings related to Alachua and Broward school districts. Sanctions may follow depending on whether or not the districts have been found to violate the mask mandate ban.

DeSantis signed an order on Jun. 30 that effectively banned school districts from establishing mask mandates, even as cases continue to rise in his state. The initial order also made clear that Corcorans authority would include withholding state funding not directly "slashing salaries."

On Tuesday, the Fort Lauderdale-area Broward County School Board voted to maintain the school district's mask mandate, which dates back to July 28. The delta variant of COVID-19 has sparked a new rise in coronavirus cases. The board voted 8-1 to keep the mandate in place, allowing exceptions for health and safety concerns.

BIDEN CHECKING IF HE HAS POWER TO INTERVENE AGAINST FLORIDA AND TEXAS MASK MANDATE BANS

"You can't ignore this pandemic. It's deadly, and it's getting worse instead of better and the more we don't use masks, the more we position the mutation of this virus to grow," Rosalind Osgood, the school board chair, said during a special board meeting Tuesday. She later told CNN that she would not "risk and play Russian roulette" with children who cannot get vaccinated.

Florida Department of Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran announced Wednesday that the state would open an investigation on Friday, Aug. 13, into schools that did not comply with the governors order, saying that depending on the results, he might "recommend to the State Board of Education that the Department withhold funds in an amount equal to the salaries for the Superintendent and all the members of the School Board."

The Miami Herald then reported Friday that the DeSantis administration "is acknowledging" it has no control over school officials pay, citing a statement by Pushaw in which she said that "officials who infringe upon that right should own their decisions and that means owning the consequences of their decisions, rather than demanding students, teachers, and school staff to foot the bill for their political grandstanding."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The Miami Herald did not respond to a Fox News request for comment.

Fox News Tyler O'Neil contributed to this report.

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DeSantis office insists he never backtracked on plans to slash school officials salaries - Fox News

Lets look at all the facts we know

I respectfully turn down the crown of Miss Information that a reader wanted to bestow upon me. I apparently made the horrific mistake of saying that one officer was killed on Jan.6. So, let me add a correction. Mr. Sicknick died of a stroke. What the reader failed to add to his statement was, The medical examiner noted Sicknick was among the officers who engaged the mob and said, all that transpired played a role in his condition.

The fake news, as the writer put it, reported he was bludgeoned with a fire extinguisher. The POLICE initially believed Sicknick had been struck with a fire extinguisher and so reported it as such. Apparently the letter-writer doesnt really watch the news because he claims that the fake news forgot to mention Ashli Babitt, when in actuality it was reported on every major news organization in the country.

The bottom line is, if Trump supporters had not carried out the attack on the Capitol, Ashli Babitt and Officer Sicknick would probably be alive today. The writer also thinks news sources cherry-pick Republicans for evisceration. Not at all.

They report the news as always, its just that the Republicans are making such incredibly outrageous and ignorant decisions that it is all newsworthy. Fox News, Breitbart, and other propaganda agencies only report fake news, not actual news. So, thanks for offering me a crown, but seriously, it truly belongs to you, Mr. Misinformation.

Were in trouble from this virus

If people dont start taking this virus seriously, than it wont matter if Republicans or Democrats run our country.

This virus has me more worried than Trump or Cuomo ever will.

I am fully vaccinated but choose to wear a mask, whether Im told to or not. I know people look at me kind of funny, but I dont give a hoot.

It is very disheartening to see every days news, with the surge of new variants. It feels like, with all the fires, the violence and the resurging of the virus, we are being tested and failing.

I want our world, our country and all of us to survive.

I pray to our merciful God each day to help us, but all have to pull together to achieve it. I hope we can, for humanitys sake.

Tillie Merrill, Glens Falls

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Glens Falls speaks up: Letters to the editor for the week of Aug. 13, 2021 - Glens Falls Post-Star

A video circulating on social media that shows men firing from machine guns into the sky at night with a building in the background is from a Yemeni wedding in 2020 and is not a video showing protests at the Amiri Diwan against the Shura Council election to be held in Qatar in October 2021, as has been claimed by the World Council for Youth Twitter page:

The video posted by The World Council of Youth which claims to be "a non-governmental council that does not belong to any organisation and its personal funding," claims that tribes gathered to attack the Amiri Diwan and Al Jazeera did not cover the event. According to the Tweet, His Highness The Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani has also disappeared.

In fact, this video was taken at a Yemeni wedding ceremony in 2020 and the clip has been taken from YouTube and falsely attributed to protests by some tribes in Qatar against the Shura Council elections law.

Video credit: Abdulla bin Sahaaq YouTube

The World Council of Youth has similarly been posting other videos about Qatar on its Twitter page which are fabricated and using hashtags like #_ and #_ #_____ to make them viral.

Related

Source and cover image credit: The World Council of Youth

Follow us on our social media channels: @ILQlive @ILQlive @ILoveQtr ILoveQatar

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Video showing attack on Amiri Diwan is FAKE. It's a Yemeni wedding video from 2020 - ILoveQatar.net

In 2017, Reporters Without Borders called India Asias deadliest country for media personnel, ahead of both Pakistan and Afghanistan. This assessment, however, is primarily based on crimes against journalists, state-sponsored censorship, and the dispensation of justice in cases of journalist killings. It doesn't capture the government's routine gagging of press freedom by resorting to a law that penalises "spreading rumours".

While there is no specific law in India that defines, regulates, or penalises "fake news" by press, the ambiguously worded Section 505 is actively exploited by the state to target the media.

As data suggests, cases registered under Section 505 of the IPC do not stand the test of a criminal trial. Most of them fall apart at the stage of framing the charges. However, as per the government's own data tabled before the Lok Sabha during Parliament's Monsoon Session, the registration of such cases has consistently risen since 2014.

Sanjeev Singh, an investigative journalist from Muzaffarnagar, realised the nature of this "gagging through crime" the moment police came to his house late at night in September 2020 to arrest him.

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Gagged and Criminalised: Journalism Critical of UP Govt Being Dubbed 'Fake News' - The Quint