IN SHORT: Fake newspaper front pages are nothing new on Kenyan social media platforms. One example, apparently from the Star newspaper, claims that Tanzania is about to legalise gay marriage.
An image of what appears to be the front page of Kenya’s Star newspaper has been posted on X (formerly Twitter) with the headline: “Tanzania to legalize gay marriage.”
The front page is dated 5 June 2024 and features a photo of Tanzanian president Samia Suluhu.
The subheading on the front page reads: “Majority of MPs in the Tanzanian parliament are expected to vote for the passing of the bill into law.”
The front page has also been posted on Facebook.
Same-sex marriage isn’t just unrecognised in Tanzania – it’s illegal.
Same-sex marriage is still frowned upon in much of conservative East Africa. Given this, is this a legitimate front page of the Star newspaper? We checked.
‘Fake,’ says the Star
On 6 June, the Star posted the circulating front page on its social media accounts with the word “fake” printed in red.
“This post is not associated with us in any way and should be treated as FAKE. Get the real copy on our official verified pages,” the Star said on its official Facebook page.
Africa Check also looked through the Star's front page archive and found a different one for 5 June. The authentic front page headline reads: “Counties blow Sh146bn on pay, projects suffer.”
The front page circulating on social media is fabricated and should be ignored.
For publishers: what to do if your post is rated false
A fact-checker has rated your Facebook or Instagram post as “false”, “altered”, “partly false” or “missing context”. This could have serious consequences. What do you do?
Click on our guide for the steps you should follow.
Publishers guideAfrica Check teams up with Facebook
Africa Check is a partner in Meta's third-party fact-checking programme to help stop the spread of false information on social media.
The content we rate as “false” will be downgraded on Facebook and Instagram. This means fewer people will see it.
You can also help identify false information on Facebook. This guide explains how.
Add new comment