FAKE NEWS ON DIWALI EXPOSED
A fabricated post falsely claiming to be from the Fiji Sun has been circulating online spreading false information about the A-G
Most of these fake posts are being posted and shared by Fijians living overseas. They are designed to create instability and division in Fiji.
Afake Fiji Sun post on Diwali was being circulated on social media yesterday on a Facebook forum.
The caption of the fake post read, ‘Diwali holiday under threat by Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum!!’
Fiji Sun Publisher/CEO Peter Lomas said this was a fake post designed to make it look like it came from the newspaper Recent trends have seen fake social media posts being circulated despite warnings by law enforcement authorities to stop spreading false and unverified “news”.
Most of these fake posts are being posted by Fijians living overseas. They are designed to create instability and division in Fiji. Mr Lomas said there was no such post published by the Fiji Sun Digital team. Most of those commenting on the post were not easily fooled and easily called it out as fake news.
An Emmanuel Chand said: “Which Fiji Sun newspaper has printed this? And tell us the date. A stupid person with idiotic thinking. Nothing else to do. Just trying to make people hate A-G. Don’t worry he will be loved more whatever you say.”
However, there were still some vulnerable people who were not able to sift out what is real from fake.
Acting Prime Minister Semi Koroilavesau last week labelled the action by those who initiated social media posts that there would be unrest on September 23 as “economic sabotage”.
Meanwhile, the Fiji Sun has lodged a complaint with the Fiji Police Cyber Crime Unit regarding a threat posted on the newspaper’s Facebook page.
The threat referred to the Fiji Sun being
“burnt to the ground.”
The person responsible was identified and action taken.
The threat was in response to an analysis by Fiji Sun’s Managing Editor Nemani Delaibatiki.
Mr Lomas said as a news organisation the Fiji Sun was reluctant to launch legal action against people speaking out on issues or critical of the Fiji Sun.
But it would do so against people making violent or vile threats against the newspaper or its staff. Fiji Sun IT specialists would work to identify such people and the newspaper would ensure the perpetrators are held accountable.