By Jessica Castro Burunate, Cuba. My neighbor doesn’t trust independent digital media anymore. She is 55 years old and recently discovered the internet. The first news she had from one of these new media was terrifying. COVID-19 was, supposedly, leaving […]
Debunk
How did I verify “ElSisi roasting Macron” video so easily, and how can you do the same?
By Mustafa Mahmoud, Egypt. The Internet made our job as journalists easier, but good things come with a price. Remember back in the day with the rise of the Internet, we thought the easy access to knowledge would make a […]
Bill Gates conspiracy theory on COVID-19
By Cliff Chiduku, Zimbabwe. With the advent of social media, story can go viral in a short period of time. And motivated by the need to break news, captive headlines which borders on sensationalism are becoming the order of the […]
Why are some journalists in the mainstream media falling prey to social media?
By Alex Wandeba, Uganda. A lot of false and malicious information continues to circulate across social media platforms by selfish individuals who want to create fear and panic amongst the population. Some of it is geared towards discrediting the efforts […]
5G and Coronavirus – Where did the second biggest conspiracy theory surrounding COVID-19 come from?
Since wireless communication first began being developed in 1979 with the first generation 1G, we have progressed over the years to 2G, 3G, 4G, and now, 5G. With the last few new generation updates, there have been theories and conspiracies […]
No! Bill Gates is not planning to give you a microchip.
Philanthropist, co-founder of Microsoft, and former wealthiest person in the world, Bill Gates, has become a person of intrest for many online trolls and disinformation campaigns. A variety of narratives can be found online, ranging from personal attacks to conspiracy […]
Fact-checking in the Post-Soviet space. An interview with Sabīne Bērziņa from Re:Check
When COVID-19 hit the world, the pressure on professional fact checkers became higher: their work became even more essential but also more intense. I spoke with Sabīne Bērziņa a professional fact checker from Re: Check, a project of The Baltic […]
How Journalists Can Avoid ‘Bad Science’ But Stay Newsy
During the ongoing global pandemic, the public desperately needs access to clear, understandable, and unbiased information. It is journalists who are the ones that have to suddenly get their heads around new concepts, like the R number. But many journalists […]
The use of numbers in Disinformation and Misinformation on social media.
Maybe you recognise it. You go to your favourite social media platform and you find a message with a big claim or statement, supported by numbers. ‘2 out of 3 people believe that the color green is more beautiful than […]
Why are we still talking about chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine?
For months, stories about chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for coronavirus have been circulating widely. These stories are all about the believe that these medicines, originally developed as anti-malaria drugs, can be used to block coronavirus from invading […]