Facebook and Fake News in the “Anglophone Crisis” in Cameroon

Abstract

Social media platforms are increasingly used by non-traditional journalists in sub-Saharan Africa for production and distribution of information. The involvement of these peripheral actors—for whom there is in reality no requirement that they adhere to professional ethics and journalistic principles—in the production and circulation of information is not without raising concerns about fake news and the quality of the information published via Facebook and Twitter accounts. This article assesses the information shared on Facebook about the anglophone crisis in Cameroon by individuals who present themselves as citizen journalists. Theoretically, we draw from the gatekeeping theory and the concept of fake news. Empirically, we use a mixed multi-method approach with both quantitative and qualitative methods. The period of analysis includes four weeks, from 15 August to 15 September 2018. The results prove that a large number of Facebook news stories lack important elements of verifiability and reliability.