Fake news stories have dominated our timelines in the past few years. It seems so simple to say to ourselves that ”just because it’s on the internet, doesn’t make it true”. But, many times we fall prey to these thought-provoking stories, images or even text message forwards.
This week there have been images making rounds about the Kenya opposition leader Raila Odinga being ”worshiped” by his followers. All those images circulating online are manipulated.
When Jamhuri News searched the photos online using Google Images, we found the original ones that have been edited to tell a different story.
There are several types of misleading and false news.
Fake news is very easy to spot. The stories come from sites designed to look real, sometimes mimicking a popular mainstream media name.
The misleading news is difficult to debunk because they often contain some truth, but headlined to look sensational. The truth part is usually taken out of context.
Then there is the clickbait. This tricks you into clicking the link for more information, sometimes knowing it’s false, but many people still click to see how the lie has been crafted.
The best way to kill false news and images from social media is by avoiding spreading them. If a story sounds too sensational, partisan or stimulating, look it up online. If you don’t see it being reported by the mainstream media, it probably is not real.