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[SIZE=7]A year in fake news in Africa[/SIZE]
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[li]12 November 2018[/li][/ul]
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The spread of fake news in Africa has been blamed for igniting ethnic violence, sowing confusion among voters and even causing currency fluctuations. As the BBC launches major new research into fake news in Africa, we break down five false stories that made a big impact on the continent in the past 12 months.
2.Top Kenya media personality shares fake praise
[SIZE=6]What was the story?[/SIZE]
CNN business presenter Richard Quest was in the Kenyan capital Nairobi in October filming for his TV show.
Former news anchor and media personality Julie Gichuru posted on her Twitter account on 25 October to discuss how much Mr Quest was apparently enjoying his time in Kenya.
She posted the following quote, attributing it to Mr Quest.
“Nothing beats the service industry in Kenya… Here I am surrounded by giraffes while having breakfast! In a country declared by the World Bank as the Preferred Investment Destination in Africa, what else can I ask for? KENYA IS MAGICAL!”
https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/410/cpsprodpb/A7A0/production/_90021924_bar.jpghttps://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/410/cpsprodpb/4294/production/_104244071_juliepicture.pngImage copyrightTWITTERhttps://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/410/cpsprodpb/A7A0/production/_90021924_bar.jpg[SIZE=6]What impact did it have?[/SIZE]
Julie has over a million followers on her verified Twitter account and 600,000 on Instagram, so within minutes thousands of people had seen what she had posted and believed it to be true.
Many poked fun at her for falling for a hoax given her high profile and her long career in the media industry.
[SIZE=6]How do we know the story was fake?[/SIZE]
The CNN journalist came across Julie’s tweet and was quick to point out that he hadn’t made any such statement. He replied to her original post.
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Ms Gichuru then had to go on Twitter to set the record straight to her followers, issuing a retraction and deleting her initial tweet.
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