Fabrication of opinion polls during political seasons placing certain candidates ahead is on the rise and are widely spread on social networking sites.
Professionally edited motion graphics emerged complete with Citizen TV branding; both visuals and sound placing Wajackoyah on the lead with prediction of over 6 Million votes emerged. Raila Odinga came 2nd with 5 Million & Ruto trails with 2 Million.
Citizen TV Kenya on their official Twitter Account has already stamped it as fake stating they haven’t commissioned any polls or broadcasted any polls of that kind. And cautioned consumers to treat such as outright misinformation and they should follow verified platforms for accurate reportage
INTENT:
Mainstream media have command, this, attributed to various gatekeeping procedures and practices. Pollsters too conduct their studies scientifically, thus command some authority.
People or institutions developing such material ride on this account and produce look-alike material purporting that they have been produced by the mainstream media and/or pollsters. They disseminate them using parody accounts and widely via WhatsApp Facebook, Twitter and Telegram.
Digital content consumers need to be cognizant of such misrepresentation of media content. Report them and stop sharing them in whichever form.
