‘If it’s fake, it’s not news!’, reminds professor

Disinformation or what has become known as “fake news” is on the increase, as efforts to fight the spread of the Covid-19 virus intensify, but a media expert said the key is to counter it with consistent fact-checking by the media and denunciation by authorities. The expert said journalists involved in disseminating disinformation must be identified and isolated.

Anton Harber, a Caxton Professor of Journalism at Wits University told The Citizen that everyone had a role to play in countering this threat. South African society had been flooded with video and audio recordings and text messages on social media by local individuals passing disinformation about the virus. Some warned members of the public to refuse being tested, alleging the equipment being used by government was contaminated with coronavirus.

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