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Young people’s digital fluency and ambition make them vulnerable to crime. Photo: Reuters

Southern Africa has cracked down on fake news, but may have gone too far

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Eswatini, South Africa and Zimbabwe have implemented new rules on disinformation. But these may have unintended consequences

(Delwyn Verasamy)

Conspiracy apartheid agent inject black South Africans HIV epidemic fake news

This month, the New African boasts a shocking headline: “We deliberately spread Aids in South Africa.” Could that be true?

Silence

Editorial: Fake news drags us into a war for truth

‘More than ever, now, it is important for news organisations to dig up the truth’

EFF mulls action on fake posters

Suddenly the debate is no longer about “fake news”, the territory of underdogs and shadowy figures, but about the stock in trade of rulers: propaganda

Bad news: A common image used by the spoof accounts targets media personalities. But the number one enemy ­appears to be Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan. His name overwhelmed the search algorithm.

Hidden hand drives social media smears

All those being targeted appear to have one thing in common — they’re not the Guptas’ friends.

Indian businessmen

Oakbay denies involvement in fake news campaign

Some media houses were targeted in what appeared to be a Twitter campaign against Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan last week.

Trust in the mainstream media has declined massively over the past 20 years

One is born every minute: Don’t be so sure you wouldn’t fall for fake news

It’s not that people are getting dumber, psychologists say. Humans have always had blind spots.

‘Neither of you turned out the way I hoped you would.’

Q&A with a fake news writer

"That was a made-up story. Keep up."

Faking it: The deceptions of United States TV personality Dr Oz have been exposed by a medical journal.

Call out fake news, don’t censor it

Fake news exposes how gullible people are

Screenshot of a fake news website.

Apocalypse soon unless we clamp down on fake-news ‘satire’

Fake news sites are figuring out how to provoke mass hysteria. They must be stopped.