DStv Channel 403 Sunday, 08 December 2024

Misinformation | Fake CNN graphic sparks social media outrage

WASHINGTON - A fake news graphic caused some confusion and outrage ahead of this week's US elections.

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The image, which was posted on social media on the weekend, claimed to show a CNN-branded graphic that put Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris well ahead of Donald Trump in Texas, with 10-percent of the vote counted.

While early voting had opened in the state, no results had yet been published.

This sparked claims that the polls had been rigged.

CNN was quick to denounce the image as fake, noting that it used a layout from the 2020 election.

The network also said it never aired the graphic.

This has once again highlighted the damage that misinformation and disinformation can cause in a generation centred on social media.

William Bird from Media Monitoring Africa discussed this with eNCA.

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