World

Fake news amplifies fear and confusion in Hong Kong

November 20, 2019

HONG KONG - Murder disguised as suicide. A secret massacre at a subway station. Impending 'terrorist' attacks: false news online is amplifying fear and confusion in Hong Kong as months of pro-democracy unrest turns increasingly violent in the real world.

Using half-truths, carefully-edited video, and selective reporting, both the pro-democracy and pro-Beijing camps push their own protest narrative -- and even fact checking doesn't always help people understand what's going on.

"I just assume everything is fake until I have seen sources from both sides and more than two news agencies I trust are reporting the same," Hong Kong resident Michael Wu, 27, told AFP.

Opposing camps are locked in "echochambers" of misinformation online, said Wu, with genuine, neutral news sources were being drowned out online

"People on each camp only 'fact check' sources within their own echochamber," Wu said. "Even when the truth is out, people are also ready to believe in whatever fake news that would advance their cause or ideology."

Local fact checking Facebook page Kauyim Media, which has more than 140,000 followers and posts quick, real-time debunks of viral disinformation, said fake news was "amplifying the fear, hatred and confusion among Hong Kong residents".

"The damage has been done and will take a long time to rectify," Kauyim told AFP.

Disinformation affects Hong Kongers in real ways, said Masato Kajimoto, a fake news expert at the University of Hong Kong, pointing to a recent false press release on school cancellations.

The Education Bureau said the purported release was "entirely a fabrication" but Kajimoto said that even so, "this type of false information is confusing and has a direct impact on how people plan their daily lives".

A deep distrust of police and authorities may fuel the spread of rumous among protesters, with outlandish claims and conspiracies taking root, despite repeated official denials.

This is partly because, one protester told AFP, people see videos of police or suspected triads attacking protesters online but no disciplinary actions or prosecutions, further undermining trust. "Police are the law now," they said.

In this febrile atmosphere, people seem more inclined to uncritically accept information they see that supports their viewpoint and "fake news passed on from person to person" can take on a life of its own. -AFP


November 20, 2019
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