Category Archives: Fake News

Among the 27 European Union countries, Bulgarians have the highest percentage who say that they had often been exposed to disinformation and fake news in the past seven days, according to the results of a poll by Eurobarometer.

The Eurobarometer poll found that 55 per cent of Bulgarians said that they had been very often or often exposed to disinformation and fake news in the preceding seven days.

The poll, done in all EU countries between April 26 and May 11 2022, found the average across the bloc for those who said that they had been exposed to disinformation and fake news in the past seven days very often was 10 per cent, and often, 10 per cent.

Asked if they felt confident that they could recognise disinformation when they encountered it, 18 per cent of Bulgarians said that they were very confident and 49 per cent somewhat confident.

Asked which news sources they trusted the most, and allowed a maximum of three answers, 44 per cent of Bulgarians said that their most trusted news source was public television and radio stations, compared with an EU average of 49 per cent.

This was followed by people, groups or friends I follow on social media or messaging platforms 25 per cent, and other online news platforms including blogs and podcasts 23 per cent.

Twenty-one per cent said private television and radio stations, 19 per cent YouTube or other video platforms and 18 per cent the print press and its websites.

Again with multiple answers allowed, 86 per cent said that the media that they had most used to access news in the past seven days was television, followed by 60 per cent online news platforms, 47 per cent social media and blogs, 34 per cent radio and 13 per cent print media.

Asked what made it most likely that they would read an online news article, 60 per cent said that they would do so if the headline seemed relevant to their interests, 43 per cent because they trusted the news website, 35 per cent because the headline was catchy while trailing in fourth place, at 19 per cent, it shows an interesting photo or video.

(Photo: Andr Rainaud/freeimages.com)

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Poll: Bulgarians top in EU in saying they are exposed to disinformation, fake news - The Sofia Globe

Tamil star Vikram has showered praise on the Mozart of Madras, A.R. Rahman, calling the ace music director who has scored music for his upcoming film 'Cobra', a living legend.Participating in the audio launch event of the film in Chennai, Vikram jokingly said, "I shouldn't place my hand on my chest for there is a good possibility that people might say that I have suffered a heart attack."

Referring to a section of the media that had wrongly reported that he had suffered a heart attack, Vikram said, "I saw lots of wrong information out there. Some said I had suffered a heart attack and that I was lying at a hospital. There were some who photoshopped my face onto some poor patient."

To the delight of his cheering fans in the audience, he added: "I feel that I have seen lots and that this is nothing. When my family, my fans, my friends and people like you support me, nothing can happen to me.

"That is because you all know that I suffered an accident when I was 20 years old and that I faced a situation where my leg had to be amputated. When I have recovered from such a situation and come back, all this is nothing."

Vikram went on to clarify, "I only had a small chest discomfort and that was blown out of proportion. Thank you."

Stating that he had always lived for cinema, Vikram said: "A long time ago, I did an advertisement when I hadn't come to cinema. I played a Chola king in an ad for a tea brand. A cameraman called Chang, a technician called Subramani and a musician named Dilip worked on it as well. Today, I have played the role of the Chola king Aditya Karikalan, that too in an epic film like 'Ponniyin Selvan' under the direction of my dream director Mani Ratnam.

"The man who was Dilip then, has won two Oscars and is known the world over and is present before us today as A.R. Rahman sir. What this shows is that if you have a dream for yourselves, if you have a goal and if you work for it, whoever you are, you can reach heights that you never imagined. Rahman sir is a big example of that. I have to thank you sir for giving such a great honour to our country," Vikram said.

He went on to add, "Rahman sir is a living legend. Be it 'Ponniyin Selvan' or 'I' or 'Ravanan', I get a fresh burst of energy when I act in his songs because I have loved his music and I am such a great fan of him."

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Vikram jokes about fake news of his heart attack, recalls time when his leg had to be amputated - India TV News

Stocks fell this morning on a very strong June jobs report before trading flat through noon. The latest batch of jobs data, released before the market opened, showed a huge payrolls beat (+372k jobs reported vs. +268k expected) alongside climbing hourly wages, which jumped 0.3% month-over-month (MoM), matching expectations. Unemployment remained unchanged at 3.6%.

The surprisingly large beat flew in the face of recent economic data that suggested the US has already entered a recession. But perhaps the most stunning disconnect was found in the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) very own June household survey. The household survey is designed to measure the size of the labor force in the US with demographic detail. This survey is where the BLS derives the unemployment rate from.

And over the last three months, the household surveys findings have not aligned with the headline jobs numbers (aka the establishment survey). Junes household survey actually reported a 315,000 decline in jobs. Aprils household survey showed a similarly striking drop of 353,000 jobs opposite a headline April jobs report gain of 428,000 payrolls.

Mays household survey matched the establishment survey, but April and June did not in the slightest.

Thats probably what caused the recent dip in the labor force participation rate, which now sits flat since the start of the year after rising in Q1.

Cumulative discrepancies between the household and establishment surveys have created a major gap that began forming in March, too.

Thats abundantly clear when you plot both surveys on a chart. The household survey peaked back in March while the establishment survey just kept on rising. Over the last three months, the establishment survey shows a gain of 1.124 million jobs vs. the household, which shows a net employment loss of 347,000. Thats a total difference of about 1.5 million jobs.

How is this possible, you may ask? It all has to do with the demographics of the household survey, which divides workers into three categories:

Full-time, part-time, and multiple jobholders.

Full-time employees declined by 70,000 since March while part-time workers fell by 326,000. Multiple jobholders, on the other hand, have surged to a post-Covid high of 7.541 million. Multiple jobholders swelled by 239,000 in June alone opposite full-time and part-time workers, who fell by 152,000 and 326,000 last month, respectively.

But it gets even worse.

Multiple jobholders whose primary and secondary jobs are both full-time just hit a record high as well.

In short, there are far fewer people working than the last handful of jobs reports would suggest. There has, however, been a sharp increase in the number of people working multiple jobs. This is reflected in the recent jobs beats, which count the number of totalpayrolls, not workers.

Does that sound like the kind of thing that happens when the economy is strong? Not at all. Usually, folks are happy to have only one employer during times of economic prosperity.

The reality here is that US labor is not in a healthy place. Whats more, the US is experiencing a labor shortage during what seems to be the early stages of a recession.

And it should only get worse as high-quality jobs fall opposite ones that are taken by workers already employed elsewhere. Investors saw this mornings jobs beat as a potentially bearish impulse, as it suggested that the economy was strong enough to handle an aggressive rate hike schedule from the Fed.

The truth is that its a bearish impulse for an entirely different reason. US labor is in shambles, hidden by headline jobs gains that the BLS uses as a smokescreen. Its another sign that this recession is going to be far more intense than most expect, and when the market realizes that, share prices should react very negatively in turn.

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The June Jobs Report Is "Fake News," Here's Why - Unseen Opportunity

The Actors Guild of Nigeria, AGN, has warned those responsible for spreading fake death news and threatening star actors on social media platforms.

The President of the AGN, Emeka Rollas, in a statement signed by his SSA on Media and Publicity, Kemi Adekomi, warned that the Guild was working with relevant law enforcement agents and will arrest culprits.

He described such action as callous, adding that the AGN had set up machinery, in collaboration with relevant law enforcement agents, to track down and apprehend heartless culprits behind those evil acts.

Part of the statement read: There have been a series of fake reports of death of major star actors like Olu Jacobs, Kanayo O. Kanayo, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, John Okafor (Mr Ibu), Genevieve Nnaji, Pete Edochie and many others on social media just to generate followers on their blogs and pages.

We cant fold our arms and watch this misdemeanour continue unabated.

The AGN President decried that it was inhuman to write obituary of anyone alive or peddle fake news, advising those behind this incessant mischief to desist henceforth, before they are caught by the long arms of the law.

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AGN warns those threatening Nollywood actors, initiators of fake news - Daily Post Nigeria

In 2018, the Oxford English Dictionary named toxic its word of the year. Unsurprising given the political climate at the time: Trump was President, Britain was Brexiting, and tech companies were under intense scrutiny for their role in enabling toxic environments online.

Among the runners-up, though, was another word describing a specific form of toxicity: gaslighting. I remember hearing it for the first time and being slightly confused about where the word came frombut I very much recognized the dynamic.Gaslighting is a form of emotional manipulation, in which the gaslighter questions or denies the validity of their targets emotions and perceptions. Psychologists most often cite it as a form of abuse in relationships, but it extends well beyond that. Nowadays, gaslighting is used to describe many more ways of questioning peoples experiences, whether its a U.S. president railing about fake news or someone at work telling you youre taking a racist or sexist comment too seriously.

The verb to gaslight originally comes from a play called . . . wait for it . . . Gas Light. This 1938 thriller, set in Victorian London, follows a well-to-do husband as he attempts to convince his wife shes going insane (in part by telling her shes imagining a dimming gas light in their home). The play became an Oscar-winning film and helped catalyze the public understanding and academic study of this form of abuse.

The Victorian setting of the play is significant: This was an early era for psychology, when scientists began studying mental illness empirically and methodically. It was also the culmination of a much longer history of a (now-defunct) condition called hysteria, which classified abnormal behavior in women as a physical affliction of the uterus. From Ancient Greece to 19th-century London, countless doctors in the West claimed that women who deviated from normal female behaviori.e., being modest, sexually inhibited, submissive, subdued, unquestioning, religious, etc.were in fact physically unwell.

Some of this non-normative behavior may well have been forms of mental illness that earlier eras didnt have a vocabulary for. Much of it, though, was undoubtedly just women being normal human beings, with a full range of emotions and personalities. Because of this long history of menand specifically men with power, such as doctors or religious leadersdoubting womens mental faculties, women have been subjected to the generational trauma of these behavioral stereotypes. Even today, despite so many advancements in modern medicine, those preconceived notions about how women should be or behave remain deeply embedded in our culture.

That history is one of the reasons women are more associated with gaslighting, particularly in relationships. Its still commonplace in our society to stereotype female assertiveness as unnatural or attempt to diminish it. The familiar stereotypes around women being more sensitive, emotional, or less rational than men are weapons in every gaslighters arsenal.

In the workplace, this has often showed up in cases of sexual harassment or inappropriate behavior. A boss who doubts the seriousness of an employees complaint about her co-workers inappropriate comments is gaslighting her. That kind of invalidation of womens experiences traces a direct line to humanitys long history of misogyny, patriarchy, and sexism. Fortunately, now that more research has been done on this topic, there are many resources available to women who experience this form of abuse.

Whats important to glean from gaslighting as a psychological concept is that its all about the gaslighter maintaining control in difficult situations. And theyre able to maintain that control by virtue of their importance in someones life. The gaslighter has to be important enough to the victim(s) that they are willing to question their own emotions. So, its never really about victims being mentally weaker compared to their abusers. Its about the gaslighter abusing their power in a relationship, and that power can come from any number of things: love, loyalty, prestige, trust, admiration, and so on.

Gaslighting makes it easier for people whove done something wrong or hurtful to confront it. Its a maneuver that allows them to sidestep their own self-examination by denying the reality around them. It is not the same as disagreement, which is natural and normal in relationships of all kinds and scales. Its about negating someone elses (uncomfortable or inconvenient) truth.

It also doesnt just occur on individual levels or toward women. Racial gaslighting is a prevalent form of denial in this country that occurs at individual, group, and institutional levels.

For individuals from diverse ethnic or racial backgrounds, this can be particularly troubling in interpersonal situations. Journalist Siobhan Neela-Stock gives a few examples of her experiences with racial gaslighting that I immediately found familiar:

Whenever Ive pushed back [against] the racist question Where are you from?, argued against someone who says discussing race perpetuates racism or contradicted members of my white extended family who insist Eric Garners death was his fault, Im usually told Im wrong, its not that big of a deal, or Im imagining things. Siobhan Neela-Stock (Mashable, 2020)

This is an all-too familiar experience for many people of color in the United States. The key part of that quote is the last bit where the author specifies that its her version of reality thats called into question through denial, diminishment, or accusations of full-blown delusion. These conversations happen all the time in private, at work, and even on television.

The examples of this in the media in the past decade are numberless. When protesters were criminalized in the press after George Floyds murder, that was a form of gaslighting (often racially motivated) that denied the validity of their anger. When they were written up in headlines as targets of state-sanctioned violence, often in the passive voice and without the perpetrators (i.e., the police or military) being named, that was also gaslighting. These are subtle forms of linguistic manipulation that seek to deny or obscure the truths we observe in real life.

And of course, the most famous example, the reason that the Oxford English Dictionary chose gaslighting as a runner-up for word of the year, is Donald Trump. In 2018, President Trump was at the height of his manipulative powers, gaslighting the entire nation by constantly calling the trustworthiness of some of our most respected journalistic institutions into question. As one commentator remembers it, at various points Trump claimed:

. . . that he watched thousands of people cheering on 9/11 in Jersey City (police say theres no evidence of this), that the Mexican government forces immigrants into the U.S. (no evidence), that there are 30 or 34 million immigrants in this country (there are 10 or 11 million), that he never supported the Iraq War (he told Howard Stern he did), that the unemployment rate is as high as 42 percent (the highest reported rate is 16.4 percent), that the U.S. is the highest-taxed country in the world (not true based on any metric of consideration), that crime is on the rise (its falling and has been for decades), and too many other things to list here because the whole tactic is to clog the drain with an indecipherable mass of toxic waste. Lauren Duca, Teen Vogue (2016)

When, under closer scrutiny, Trump then claimed that he was the victim of fake news and other media conspiracies, he forced millions of Americans to question whether they could trust news outlets they previously respected for their journalistic integrity. Even for those who understood that he was lying, theres only so far you can go when the most powerful person in the country tells you its his word or yours.

Trump got to power and maintained it in large part by gaslighting Americans en masse. (And he certainly was not the first American in power to do so.) But there are even more insidious forms of gaslighting that affect millions of people without the boost of a presidents word. Institutions and businesses, employers and educatorstheyre all capable of gaslighting at scale. And the only thing that stopped Trump in the end was hard data: You cant keep believing in someones denials when you have fact-checkers on your side.

In the Gas Light play, a detective eventually shows up and assures the distressed wife that shes not imagining the dimming of the gas lights. Only then does she begin to believe her own perceptions again. In modern instances of gaslighting, be it racial or relational, victims need allies to help affirm that their experiences are valid.

Knowing how to recognize gaslighting is therefore key for all of us. The first step is to identify that theres a problem. For victims of gaslighting, this is often the hardest step, because it means that someone who plays an important role in their lives is hurting them.

Next, before asking whos right and whos wrong, acknowledge the validity of the targets feelings and experiences. Because thats often what the issue boils down to in most instances of interpersonal gaslighting: intention vs. impact. No matter how unaware or well-intentioned a comment may be, the impact it has can be very different. Acknowledging that words can hurt without people meaning to is critical for becoming more sensitive to gaslighting.

Ultimately, gaslighting thrives on discomfort with confrontation, both for the gaslighter and the target of their (intended or unintended) abuse. Getting more comfortable with your own discomfort around issues of race, gender, identity, or even just your own relationships will help you recognize and respond to gaslighting better.

And finally, remember that disagreement is not the same as denying someones experience. Disagreeing is an important, healthy way to enable debate and share diverse perspectives. But you can disagree with someone without shutting them down or invalidating their experience. If we can all at least agree on that, then it becomes much easier to recognize and disarm gaslighters wherever they operate.

More here:

What is gaslighting? - Fast Company

"We must all remember that until a British Prime minister talks to the Queen he will not resign without her majesty's consent. So, until then Johnson is very much the Prime minister. Not once in his speech did, he mention the word resign. Not even once did he refer to a meeting with the queen. So yes, he has not resigned yet," wrote Dr Masimba Mavaza, to reassure the nervous Zanu PF regime.

"When those who claim to be masters of democracy slip into democratic confusion it is those who follow them who get the sharp edge. It is true that sometimes democracy is costly. Britain has experienced four general elections in three years and is likely to have the fifth."There are many take home lessons to be learned from the Boris Johnson saga, one of which being that no individual, no matter how high up the grease-pole they happen to be, is untouchable. This is a very important point because it gives confidence to those below to hold the leaders to account.

Democratic account is a key tenet of a healthy a functioning democracy and one that has made the system champion in quickly, efficiently, and effectively handling mismanagement, corruption and stamping out tyranny.

In a dysfunctional autocratic political system such as that in Zimbabwe, the top dog is untouchable and hence the reason why not even one Zanu PF minister dared to even protest much less resign even at the height of such madness as the wholesale looting of Marange diamonds or the Gukurahundi massacre. Mugabe and now Mnangagwa has enjoyed absolute power and the protesting individual would not have stopped the madness but rather booted out of the party. And all who have been booted out of Zanu PF have found "it is cold out there!" as Professor Jonathan Moyo has testified.

"But as we've seen at Westminster, the herd instinct is powerful and when the herd moves, it moves," announced Prime Minister Boris Johnson outside the door of 10 Downing Street.

"And my friends in politics, no-one is remotely indispensable and our brilliant and Darwinian system will produce another leader, equally committed to taking this country forward through tough times.

"Not just helping families to get through it, but changing and improving the way we do things, cutting burdens on businesses and families and yes, cutting taxes, because that is the way to generate the growth and the income we need to pay for great public services.

"And to that new leader, I say whoever he or she may be, I say I will give you as much support as I can. And to you, the British public.

"I know that there will be many people who are relieved and perhaps quite a few who will also be disappointed. And I want you to know how sad I am to be giving up the best job in the world."

Of course, Boris Johnson was disappointed to give up being Prime Minister "the best job in the world"; he would not be human if he otherwise. The point is he is giving it up because the Conservative MPs, in the first instance, and the voting public if they had failed to act, wanted him to go. And he is going; the starting gun for electing a new party leader who will then become Prime Minister has been fired.

The truth is the Zanu PF regime, like all other authoritarian and political despots the world over have been angling for Boris Johnson to defy the democratic wishes of his party and the voting public and refuse to leave office. It is not so much that Zanu PF wanted Boris to remain in office; they loath regime change because every time it happens, they fear the people of Zimbabwe might be inspired to seek regime change too.

When then President Donald Trump stormed Capital Hill on 6th January 2021, the date that has gone down in human history as the day American democracy was tested to destruction and passed; despots from Beijing, Moscow and most of Africa and South America were disappointed Trump failed. Nothing would have helped consolidate their own authoritarian dictatorship than Trump defying the democratic wishes of the American people! Nothing!

In an interview with Trevor Ncube, Professor Welshman Ncube revealed why the late dictator Robert Mugabe had stubbornly refused to appoint him Deputy Prime Minister in place of Arthur Mutambara he feared contingency. If the MDC-N herd can elect a new leader and have him replace their leader in the GNU, the Zanu PF herd would certainly want to do the same threatening Mugabe's own position!

So, Dr Masimba Mavaza's article in Zimeye "Boris Johnson, Zimbabwe View", no doubt reproduced in the Zanu PF control public media, is to reassure the Zanu PF leaders and supporters that reports of PM Johnson throwing in the towel, is all fake news. The Zimbabwe economy is in total meltdown and, needless to say, the people of Zimbabwe are desperate for regime change and view the coming elections as an opportunity to finally deliver that change.

Zanu PF is set to rig the 2023 elections thanks to MDC/CCC leaders' not only selling out on reforms but insisting on participating in these flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy. However Zanu PF knows it is not out of the woods yet because the possibility of street protest and/or another military coup to force regime change is a certainty.

The present economic chaos that has forced millions into abject poverty and despair cannot continue for much longer. Regime change in in the air, you take it with very breath, and no wonder the whole Zanu PF regime is a nervous wreck!

"Not once in his speech did, he mention the word resign!" proclaimed Dr Mavaza. Talk of fake news that takes the biscuit! The Conservative party machinery is expected to produce a new party leader by November and Boris will walk the plunk, jarring the regime change sensitive nerves of the Zanu PF regime leaders and cronies alike!

All articles and letters published on Bulawayo24 have been independently written by members of Bulawayo24's community. The views of users published on Bulawayo24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Bulawayo24. Bulawayo24 editors also reserve the right to edit or delete any and all comments received.

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Boris is still PM, he never 'mentioned resign' - fake news to sooth jarred regime change sensitive nerves - Bulawayo24 News

technologically-driven devices that have helped in fighting fake news include The Factual, Check, Logically, Grover, Full fact, Sensity AI, ClaimBuster, . Snopes.com, FindExif.com, InVID, Hoaxy, Wolfram, amongst others, which are all powerful artificial intelligence devices that can be used to fight and verify false information. They have, time and over again, helped in revealing the truth behind certain controversial issues in Nigerias political terrain.

Just a few days ago, news about the purported 60-day extension of the Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was making the rounds across major newspapers, including platforms that have built their reputation and credibility over the years. This generated some level of hysteria amongst Nigerians and even some renowned civil society organisations reacted to the news, which was letter realised to be untrue. However, this was contrary to official information from the Commission through its National Commissioner, Festus Okoye, who confirmed that the CVR will be extended by at least an additional 30 days but without providing a specific timeline or additional information.

While there are some conversations around the extension of the CVR in various quarters, the latest was led by the House of Representatives Committee on INEC and electoral matters, having pushed a motion for the extension of the exercise by 60 days. However, the Commission was yet to officially announce any extension before it became trending news. Unfortunately, no matter how close it is and how credible the platform that reported it is, as far as its untrue, its tagged as fake news and no doubt it can affect the process. In fact, this cannot be differentiated from another similar fake news that made the rounds just forty-eight (48 hours) to the just concluded governorship elections in Ekiti State, alleging the disqualification of the candidate of All Progressives Congress, Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, from running in the just concluded Ekiti governorship election. Although the Federal High Court itself eventually debunked the existence of any such case in its entire jurisdiction and indeed the Court Order as alleged, the story had the tendency to do its own damage to the candidate, who however turned out to be the eventual winner of the election.

Despite being one of the most delicate and complicated periods in Nigerias democratic dispensation, election periods are usually engulfed with fake and unconfirmed news reports, which have the tendency of jeopardising the processes. In June 2018, a sitting governor in Ekiti State practically strangled the State radio station to announce fake results to the public, even before the electoral commission declared the official results. This heated the polity and led to the indefinite closure of the station.

Scenarios abound where individuals and groups use their social media platforms to peddle fake news around electoral processes, malpractices, electoral violence and even fake election results. These have continued to exacerbate mutual distrust amongst electoral stakeholders in Nigeria. Factchecking activities leading to the 2019 elections exposed a series of misleading pictures containing false information, which were at other times doctored to misinform or were deployed in false contexts. These were predominant amongst the aides and supporters of the major candidates in the elections, to either promote their candidates or discredit opponents.

Other organisations like Dubawa, TheCable and other conventional media platforms have mastered the art of using technology to counter fake news, especially during the electoral period. Simple google searches and reverse image searches have proven to work in many scenarios when tracking fake news. For instance, Google reverse image searches are basically the process of searching the internet to identify where certain images had been used, in a bid to locate their original sources.

If mushroom media houses and individuals spread fake news, either due to ignorance or for mischievous reasons, it is expected that credible and reputable organisations will take additional steps to verify the veracity of such information. In this era of the proliferation of technology, it becoming even easier to counter fake news.

In recent times, there have been the emergence of online technological platforms specifically dedicated to countering fake news and basically these platforms have continued to play significant roles in debunking such news that can jeopardise Nigerias delicate democratic system. A typical example is FactCheck Elections, an independent, non-partisan and non-profit fact-checking platform with the goal of verifying claims and debunking fake news around electoral activities in Nigeria, using research, data and technological tools. The platform also fact-checks manifestoes, claims made during debates and monitors election results. In most cases, feedbacks are shared via texts, infographics, pictures, videos, animations and social media posts. According to its website, factcheckelections.org, it has set focus on Nigerias 2022 gubernatorial off-cycle and the 2023 general elections.

Other organisations like Dubawa, TheCable and other conventional media platforms have mastered the art of using technology to counter fake news, especially during the electoral period. Simple google searches and reverse image searches have proven to work in many scenarios when tracking fake news. For instance, Google reverse image searches are basically the process of searching the internet to identify where certain images had been used, in a bid to locate their original sources.

there are opportunities availed to us by a lot of technological innovations that can be used to verify and counter fake news, especially in our electoral process. Also, these innovations are available to not just fact-checking platforms but to ordinary Nigerians who are usually the main targets and who are vulnerable to fake news.

Other technologically-driven devices that have helped in fighting fake news include The Factual, Check, Logically, Grover, Full fact, Sensity AI, ClaimBuster, . Snopes.com, FindExif.com, InVID, Hoaxy, Wolfram, amongst others, which are all powerful artificial intelligence devices that can be used to fight and verify false information. They have, time and over again, helped in revealing the truth behind certain controversial issues in Nigerias political terrain.

Interestingly, internet and social media are predominant tools used in spreading fake news but are also being used to fact-check the same through searches and the verification of information through the array of online applications used in fighting fake news. As a matter of fact, social media platforms like Facebook are also taking additional strategies to tackle false news, fake accounts and hate speech, and it also held the Election Integrity Exhibition for media, civil society partners and other stakeholders in Nigeria. One of such measures utilised is to ensure that only advertisers and agencies are allowed to promote political contents. This is in a bid to curb the spread of fake news during elections in Nigeria. Thus, news platforms and individuals can verify the claims on official social media pages before publishing and promoting stories around the electoral process.

In a nutshell, there are opportunities availed to us by a lot of technological innovations that can be used to verify and counter fake news, especially in our electoral process. Also, these innovations are available to not just fact-checking platforms but to ordinary Nigerians who are usually the main targets and who are vulnerable to fake news.

Olasupo Abideen is a good governance, youth investment and public policy enthusiast. Abideen serves as the Kwara state coordinator of the NotTooYoungToRun movement and he is the executive director, Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative. Please send comments and feedback to abideenolasupo@gmail.com. He tweets @opegoogle.

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Deploying technology to counter fake news in the electoral process, By Olasupo Abideen - Premium Times

Ukraine has reclaimed the famed Snake Island in the Black Sea, but the battle continues in the information sphere as Russia accuses Kyiv of spreading disinformation about the islands liberation.

On June 30, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence Twitter account released a video showing the Ukrainian army repeatedly striking the island alongside the caption:Three ingredients of the successful operation: skills of the Ukrainian military; modern Ukrainian weapons; equipment from our international partners and the Snake Island is free from occupation. Reportedly the Ukrainian army had been attacking the island with missile and drone strikes over the last few weeks.

Hailed as a massive victory by the Ukrainians, the MoD then tweeted:Once again Russian warships go f ck yourselves!a reference to the Ukrainian soldiers who refused to surrender Snake Island to a Russian warship back in February. The Snake Island soldiers were immortalised and became a symbol of Ukrainian resistance, even featuring on a stamp issued by the Ukrainian post office.

TheUkrainiannarrative is that Russian forces could no longer hold on to the island and were forced to retreat under heavy fire. However, the Russian MoD published a different story, saying that Russian troops withdrew as a gesture of goodwill and because they had finished fulfilling the assigned tasks on Snake Island.

In a Telegram message the Russian MoD accuses Western media of spreading disinformation: Fake: Russian troops have withdrawn from Snake Island, unable to withstand attacks by the AFU. Ukrainian sources and Western media, such as the New York Times, write this.

However, Russias justification for leaving the island doesnt actually debunk the Ukrainian and Western narrative but instead upholds it. The MoD claim that a lot of resources have been spent holding on to the island against Ukrainian attacks and the decision to leave wasto prioritise the lives of Russian soldiers and prevent casualties.

The Ukrainian side is trying to turn this into a victory, including with the help of international media, but there are no prerequisites for this, the MoD stated.

This was met with ridicule on social media, with one account tweeting: I wonder if they themselves re-read the text before publication? They literally write that the Russian troops left Snake Island not because they could not withstand the attacks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but because they could not withstand the attacks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The Russian narrative was also disputed by the British MoD, who claim that Russia withdrew owing to the isolation of the garrison and its increasing vulnerability to Ukrainian strikes, as opposed to a gesture of goodwill.

Instead, Russias fumbled attempts to retain some pride reveals what a significant victory this is for Ukraine, both symbolically and strategically, and marks a turning point in Ukraines defence of the Black Sea.

Zmiinyi (Snake) Island is a strategic point, and it significantly changes the situation in the Black Sea,Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced in an address to the nation. It does not guarantee safety yet, it does not yet guarantee that the enemy will not return. But it already limits the actions of the occupiers significantly. Step by step, we will drive them out of our sea, our landand our sky.

After the sinking of the Moskva in April, the ship that captured the island on the first day of the invasion, Snake Island was left vulnerable to aerial attacks from Ukraine. The Kremlin struggled to bring anti-aircraft systems and radio-electronic warfare to the island due to its distance from Russia's Black Sea naval bases, the BBC reported.

With the island back under Ukrainian control, the threat to the nearby Odesa region is less severe. Nevertheless, Russian forces struck Odesain the early hours ofJuly 1, killing at least 18 and injuring 31, in what many believe isin retaliation for Snake Islands liberation.

Soviet-era X-22 missiles, reportedly fired by aircraft from the Black Sea, struck a nine-story residential building and a leisure complex in Bilhorod-Dnistrovsky District. At least three children were killed in what Ukraine claims is an act of terrorism. A rescue operation is ongoing.

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Snake Island liberated, but Moscow accuses Ukraine of spreading fake news - bne IntelliNews

Former U.S. Rep. Matt Salmon withdrew from the Republican primary for governor of Arizona on June 28, 2022, saying that primary voters deserve more than having their votes split. Salmon endorsed Karrin Taylor Robson the following day.

Club for Growth and FreedomWorks had endorsed Salmon, along with U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), and U.S. Reps. Andy Biggs (R- Ariz.), David Schweikert (R-Ariz.), and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). Salmons withdrawal came after the deadline for his name to be removed from the ballot.

In addition to Taylor Robson, Kari Lake, Scott Neely, and Paola Tulliani-Zen are on the ballot for the August 2 primary. Incumbent Gov. Doug Ducey (R) is term-limited.

Lake and Taylor Robson lead in endorsements, polls, and funding.

Lake, who formerly worked as a news anchor for Fox 10 News in Phoenix, Arizona, said she is running on a platform of common sense conservatism dedicated to individual liberties, low taxes, limited regulation, and protecting Arizonas great Western heritage. Lake said, The ongoing border crisis is nothing less than a national security and humanitarian disaster. I will not wait for Washingtons approval or rely on the empty promises of far-away politicians to do whats best for Arizonans. She said, After I take my hand off the Bible, we are going to issue a declaration of invasion. We are going to finish President Trumps wall, and we are going to send our armed National Guard to the border and stop people from coming across.

Former President Donald Trump (R) endorsed Lake, along with U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), the Conservative Political Action Coalition, and the Arizona Fraternal Order of Police.

Taylor Robson, a former member of the Arizona Board of Regents and founder of a land-use strategy firm, said, We need a leader with a record of accomplishment, not a career talker with the teleprompter. She said, I built my own businesses. I do more than talk for a living. Taylor Robson said that border security would be her first priority and that she would surge National Guard troops to the border, equip the Border Strike Force with the latest technology, and finish the wall. She also said, I am uniquely qualified to lead this state into the future and to secure and protect Arizonas water. My experience includes decades managing land, water and other natural resource issues, as well as working with government at all levels.

Former Arizona Govs. Jan Brewer (R) and John Fife Symington III (R) endorsed Taylor Robson, as did former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R), Arizona state Senate President Karen Fann (R), and Americans For Prosperity.

With regard to the 2020 presidential election, Lake said that President Joe Biden (D) lost the election and he shouldnt be in the White House. In a campaign ad, Lake said, If youre watching this ad right now, it means youre in the middle of watching a fake news program. You know how to know its fake? Because they wont even cover the biggest story out there, the rigged election of 2020. In an interview withFox News, Lake said, [W]e had a fraudulent election, a corrupt election, and we have an illegitimate president sitting in the White House.

Taylor Robson said, Joe Biden may be the president, but the election wasnt fair. States across the country changed their voting rules in the weeks and months before the election; the mainstream media generally refused to cover stories harmful to Joe Biden; and Big Tech actively suppressed conservative voices. No wonder a sizable percentage of Arizona Republicans still feel the way they do about 2020. She said, I am focused on 2022 because the left is 10 steps ahead of us. I will do everything I can to ensure Arizona is in Republican hands for the 2024 election when we can take back the White House.

Patrick Finerd, Carlos Roldan, and Alex Schatz are running as write-ins in the primary.

Major independent observers rate the general election as atoss-up. Ducey was first elected in 2014 and won re-election in 2018 by a margin of 14 percentage points. Repulicans have held trifecta control of Arizona state government since 2009.

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Former US Rep. Matt Salmon withdraws from Arizona governor's race Ballotpedia News - Ballotpedia News

Widespread rumours are doing the rounds on various media and social media platforms that the Executive Mayor of Emalahleni collapsed as she delivered the 2022 State of the Municipality Address (SOMA).

It is fake news that the mayor collapsed after drinking municipal tap water. This is nothing but gutter journalism, says the municipal spokesperson, Mr Lebo Mofokeng.

The mayor, Cllr Conny Nkalitshana did not feel well while she was delivering her address on Thursday, June 30, and requested the finance member of the mayoral committee, Ms Faith Msibi to complete delivering her SOMA speech as WITBANK NEWS reported in a previous article.

Nkalitshana was taken to the hospital to be checked out and is currently in good spirit. She should be able to resume her mayoral duties subject to the doctors advice.

The municipality would like to assure its residents that the quality of water is good for human consumption and the municipality is participating in the blue and green drop of both water and wastewater quality monitoring. I can confirm that the municipal potable water does meet the minimum norms and standards and is suitable for human consumption, Mofokeng concluded.

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Clarification after fake news spread that the executive mayor collapsed after drinking tap water - Witbank News