Twitter user posts viral image suggesting that cocaine kills coronavirus.
The World Health Organisation has said that there is currently no specific medicine to prevent or treat novel coronavirus. Moreso, relevant authorities’ stance is in contradiction to the viral headline.
Full Text
On Monday, Bizzle Osikoya via Twitter suggested that cocaine kills coronavirus. What’s more, he utilized a verified Twitter handle, disseminating this headline to almost 200k users. The post was met with different reactions; while some found it funny and made jokes with it, others rebuffed the stance.
Verification
The image which appears as though the source took a picture of a tv screen is presented in the form of a news frame. It displays cocaine on a surface with a currency note all rolled up beside it.
The image is similar to the news frame used in this false claim. However, unlike the former which bore a Channels TV logo, this image does not display any credible media logo, further questioning its authenticity.
Dubawa conducted a reverse image search and a keyword search. The searches jointly produced several youtube videos 1, 2, 3 and 4. The videos all convey the same message.
It is NOT Headlines
While the image did not have a source, making it hard to prove; we know the World Health Organization’s stance on this. WHO clearly states that there is currently no known cure for the virus.
Furthermore, nowadays, anyone with a digital device and an internet connection can create news frames. The art is no longer limited TV stations alone. Applications like ‘Break Your Own News, Breaking News Photo Editor’ on google play store and a website breakyourownnew.com have made that possible.
The site provides users with a template and allows them to input image, headline and ticker of choice. Also, the website runs on realtime and allows users to download and share their creations on social media.
This invention makes it possible to come up with misleading breaking news headlines. Hence, Dubawa advises caution when viewing similar material…
