What Eritrea’s forced polygamy hoax tells us about the state of African news media

Last week, a story claiming the Eritrean government had issued a ruling forcing men in the country to marry at least two wives was all abuzz on social media. On Facebook and Twitter memes abounded of men around the world apparently wanting to move to the country to take advantage of this new law.
There was one problem. It wasn't true.
The story appeared to have originated from the online platform of The Standard, a Kenyan newspaper, supposedly as a satirical piece (the post has since been removed). But the 'news' quickly generated tremendous social media buzz. There was even a photo of the legal ruling that reports claimed came from Eritrea's Grand Mufti issuing the edict. And soon the story went viral, picked up by multiple media outlets across the continent, including such well-followed platforms like SaharaReporters.
But just as quickly, the story was discredited. SaharaReporters, for example, admitted they were duped and retracted the story. The Eritrean minister of information took to Twitter to express his anger at the "negative narrative" it generated about his country.

Media frenzy to parrot this ludicrous, fabricated & trite story of the Mufti's presumed religious decree on mandatory polygamy is appalling

— Yemane G. Meskel (@hawelti) January 27, 2016

But this is not the first time within the last three weeks that The Standard had created a viral hit. Days before the Eritrean story, a post appeared on its website with the headline: "No more thighs! Mini skirts banned in Magufuli turf."
The post suggested that Tanzania's newly elected president John Magufuli had issued an edict banning the wearing of mini-skirts in the country. "The argument is that minis have been contributing to the spread of HIV and AIDS," the article claimed.
And just like the Eritrean polygamy story, it too went viral. Publications across the continent, including in South Africa, Uganda and Nigeria, picked it up and produced their own versions. On Twitter, jokes circulated, poking fun at the perceived moralizing and misogyny of Magufuli.

Magufuli blames HIV/AIDS on twerking and miniskirts (i.e. women) #WhatWouldMagufuliDo #Tanzania #Tanz https://t.co/BFKx01AnWh

— Morgan Vina (@morganlroach) January 19, 2016

Magufuli bans miniskirts in TZ. the gods must be crazy

— Onnea Onesmus (@OnneaOnesmus) January 19, 2016

Its 20-effing-16..well done https://t.co/RKJzYac5ut

— Dj Zabu (@djzabu) January 19, 2016

But once again, the story was untrue.
Tanzania's foreign ministry was forced to issue a strongly worded statement denying it. "There is no doubt that President Magufuli and his government are strong proponents of decent dressing, but the ministry wishes to put the record straight that the President has not issued any ban on miniskirts for any reason," the statement said. Following the denial, the Standard issued a correction. And there are reports that the digital editor responsible for these blunders has since been reassigned to another role.
The Standard, owned by the Standard Group, which also controls TV and radio stations, is the oldest newspaper in Kenya. At 2.2 million it boasts the second highest readership in the country after the Daily Nation. Meanwhile, the online platform for the media group is the fourth most popular site in east Africa's largest economy, according to the analytics site Alexa.com.
But the mistakes committed by the site over the last month shows how the changing media economics (pg. 43) around the world are starting to impact African journalism. To chase traffic, sometimes unverified rumors with headline grabbing posts find their way to publication. And with the increasing popularity of social media on the continent, poorly fact-checked stories can go viral in seconds as they ping from country to country, diaspora to diaspora amplified by Facebook and Twitter like the Eritrea story did.

Readers + social media = viral hit!

But bad journalism isn't the only figure of blame in this. Readers are complicit too. Especially when these stories tap into our prejudices which then act as fuel to such bogus social media-driven narratives.
In the miniskirt ban case, the administration in Tanzania has gained pan-African notoriety for its assertive new ways. But to some, this is being viewed as over-reaching. So when a story emerged that Magufuli was banning miniskirts it fed into the "over-reaching narrative" and the internet exploded accordingly.
Similarly with Eritrea. The country has been described elsewhere as the "North Korea of Africa" for its authoritarian tendencies. The suggestion that the state is forcing polygamy on its people would fit the profile, right? Well, social media took that and ran with it.
And this does not always apply when its a negative story. Take for example last year's report about a Nigerian mathematician who claimed to have solved a 156-year old math problem. The story received world-wide attention, including from the BBC and the British newspaper, the Daily Telegraph. But it turned out it wasn't exactly true, as Quartz revealed at the time.
But all these stories remind us of an old adage: don't believe everything you read.

What Eritrea’s forced polygamy hoax tells us about the state of African news media

Last week, a story claiming the Eritrean government had issued a ruling forcing men in the country to marry at least two wives was all abuzz on social media. On Facebook and Twitter memes abounded of men around the world apparently wanting to move to the country to take advantage of this new law.
There was one problem. It wasn't true.
The story appeared to have originated from the online platform of The Standard, a Kenyan newspaper, supposedly as a satirical piece (the post has since been removed). But the 'news' quickly generated tremendous social media buzz. There was even a photo of the legal ruling that reports claimed came from Eritrea's Grand Mufti issuing the edict. And soon the story went viral, picked up by multiple media outlets across the continent, including such well-followed platforms like SaharaReporters.
But just as quickly, the story was discredited. SaharaReporters, for example, admitted they were duped and retracted the story. The Eritrean minister of information took to Twitter to express his anger at the "negative narrative" it generated about his country.

Media frenzy to parrot this ludicrous, fabricated & trite story of the Mufti's presumed religious decree on mandatory polygamy is appalling

— Yemane G. Meskel (@hawelti) January 27, 2016

But this is not the first time within the last three weeks that The Standard had created a viral hit. Days before the Eritrean story, a post appeared on its website with the headline: "No more thighs! Mini skirts banned in Magufuli turf."
The post suggested that Tanzania's newly elected president John Magufuli had issued an edict banning the wearing of mini-skirts in the country. "The argument is that minis have been contributing to the spread of HIV and AIDS," the article claimed.
And just like the Eritrean polygamy story, it too went viral. Publications across the continent, including in South Africa, Uganda and Nigeria, picked it up and produced their own versions. On Twitter, jokes circulated, poking fun at the perceived moralizing and misogyny of Magufuli.

Magufuli blames HIV/AIDS on twerking and miniskirts (i.e. women) #WhatWouldMagufuliDo #Tanzania #Tanz https://t.co/BFKx01AnWh

— Morgan Vina (@morganlroach) January 19, 2016

Magufuli bans miniskirts in TZ. the gods must be crazy

— Onnea Onesmus (@OnneaOnesmus) January 19, 2016

Its 20-effing-16..well done https://t.co/RKJzYac5ut

— Dj Zabu (@djzabu) January 19, 2016

But once again, the story was untrue.
Tanzania's foreign ministry was forced to issue a strongly worded statement denying it. "There is no doubt that President Magufuli and his government are strong proponents of decent dressing, but the ministry wishes to put the record straight that the President has not issued any ban on miniskirts for any reason," the statement said. Following the denial, the Standard issued a correction. And there are reports that the digital editor responsible for these blunders has since been reassigned to another role.
The Standard, owned by the Standard Group, which also controls TV and radio stations, is the oldest newspaper in Kenya. At 2.2 million it boasts the second highest readership in the country after the Daily Nation. Meanwhile, the online platform for the media group is the fourth most popular site in east Africa's largest economy, according to the analytics site Alexa.com.
But the mistakes committed by the site over the last month shows how the changing media economics (pg. 43) around the world are starting to impact African journalism. To chase traffic, sometimes unverified rumors with headline grabbing posts find their way to publication. And with the increasing popularity of social media on the continent, poorly fact-checked stories can go viral in seconds as they ping from country to country, diaspora to diaspora amplified by Facebook and Twitter like the Eritrea story did.

Readers + social media = viral hit!

But bad journalism isn't the only figure of blame in this. Readers are complicit too. Especially when these stories tap into our prejudices which then act as fuel to such bogus social media-driven narratives.
In the miniskirt ban case, the administration in Tanzania has gained pan-African notoriety for its assertive new ways. But to some, this is being viewed as over-reaching. So when a story emerged that Magufuli was banning miniskirts it fed into the "over-reaching narrative" and the internet exploded accordingly.
Similarly with Eritrea. The country has been described elsewhere as the "North Korea of Africa" for its authoritarian tendencies. The suggestion that the state is forcing polygamy on its people would fit the profile, right? Well, social media took that and ran with it.
And this does not always apply when its a negative story. Take for example last year's report about a Nigerian mathematician who claimed to have solved a 156-year old math problem. The story received world-wide attention, including from the BBC and the British newspaper, the Daily Telegraph. But it turned out it wasn't exactly true, as Quartz revealed at the time.
But all these stories remind us of an old adage: don't believe everything you read.

What Eritrea’s forced polygamy hoax tells us about the state of African news media

Last week, a story claiming the Eritrean government had issued a ruling forcing men in the country to marry at least two wives was all abuzz on social media. On Facebook and Twitter memes abounded of men around the world apparently wanting to move to the country to take advantage of this new law.
There was one problem. It wasn't true.
The story appeared to have originated from the online platform of The Standard, a Kenyan newspaper, supposedly as a satirical piece (the post has since been removed). But the 'news' quickly generated tremendous social media buzz. There was even a photo of the legal ruling that reports claimed came from Eritrea's Grand Mufti issuing the edict. And soon the story went viral, picked up by multiple media outlets across the continent, including such well-followed platforms like SaharaReporters.
But just as quickly, the story was discredited. SaharaReporters, for example, admitted they were duped and retracted the story. The Eritrean minister of information took to Twitter to express his anger at the "negative narrative" it generated about his country.

Media frenzy to parrot this ludicrous, fabricated & trite story of the Mufti's presumed religious decree on mandatory polygamy is appalling

— Yemane G. Meskel (@hawelti) January 27, 2016

But this is not the first time within the last three weeks that The Standard had created a viral hit. Days before the Eritrean story, a post appeared on its website with the headline: "No more thighs! Mini skirts banned in Magufuli turf."
The post suggested that Tanzania's newly elected president John Magufuli had issued an edict banning the wearing of mini-skirts in the country. "The argument is that minis have been contributing to the spread of HIV and AIDS," the article claimed.
And just like the Eritrean polygamy story, it too went viral. Publications across the continent, including in South Africa, Uganda and Nigeria, picked it up and produced their own versions. On Twitter, jokes circulated, poking fun at the perceived moralizing and misogyny of Magufuli.

Magufuli blames HIV/AIDS on twerking and miniskirts (i.e. women) #WhatWouldMagufuliDo #Tanzania #Tanz https://t.co/BFKx01AnWh

— Morgan Vina (@morganlroach) January 19, 2016

Magufuli bans miniskirts in TZ. the gods must be crazy

— Onnea Onesmus (@OnneaOnesmus) January 19, 2016

Its 20-effing-16..well done https://t.co/RKJzYac5ut

— Dj Zabu (@djzabu) January 19, 2016

But once again, the story was untrue.
Tanzania's foreign ministry was forced to issue a strongly worded statement denying it. "There is no doubt that President Magufuli and his government are strong proponents of decent dressing, but the ministry wishes to put the record straight that the President has not issued any ban on miniskirts for any reason," the statement said. Following the denial, the Standard issued a correction. And there are reports that the digital editor responsible for these blunders has since been reassigned to another role.
The Standard, owned by the Standard Group, which also controls TV and radio stations, is the oldest newspaper in Kenya. At 2.2 million it boasts the second highest readership in the country after the Daily Nation. Meanwhile, the online platform for the media group is the fourth most popular site in east Africa's largest economy, according to the analytics site Alexa.com.
But the mistakes committed by the site over the last month shows how the changing media economics (pg. 43) around the world are starting to impact African journalism. To chase traffic, sometimes unverified rumors with headline grabbing posts find their way to publication. And with the increasing popularity of social media on the continent, poorly fact-checked stories can go viral in seconds as they ping from country to country, diaspora to diaspora amplified by Facebook and Twitter like the Eritrea story did.

Readers + social media = viral hit!

But bad journalism isn't the only figure of blame in this. Readers are complicit too. Especially when these stories tap into our prejudices which then act as fuel to such bogus social media-driven narratives.
In the miniskirt ban case, the administration in Tanzania has gained pan-African notoriety for its assertive new ways. But to some, this is being viewed as over-reaching. So when a story emerged that Magufuli was banning miniskirts it fed into the "over-reaching narrative" and the internet exploded accordingly.
Similarly with Eritrea. The country has been described elsewhere as the "North Korea of Africa" for its authoritarian tendencies. The suggestion that the state is forcing polygamy on its people would fit the profile, right? Well, social media took that and ran with it.
And this does not always apply when its a negative story. Take for example last year's report about a Nigerian mathematician who claimed to have solved a 156-year old math problem. The story received world-wide attention, including from the BBC and the British newspaper, the Daily Telegraph. But it turned out it wasn't exactly true, as Quartz revealed at the time.
But all these stories remind us of an old adage: don't believe everything you read.

The English Premier League just spent a record-breaking £1 billion on transfers this season

At 11pm UK time (6pm ET) today, the window for transferring players into and out of the English Premier League will close. After all the paperwork has been filed, and every player has stood smiling while holding up their new team's jersey, a new record will have been hit: Between the winter and summer transfer windows for this season, the 20 teams in the Premier League will have spent a combined £1 billion ($1.44 billion) on new players.

According to Deloitte, which monitors the global soccer transfer market and provided the above data to Quartz, this season will be the first time the Premier League has spent over £1 billion on transfers in a single season, passing last year's total by about £35 million ($50 million). That's about one third of the revenue that the entire league generates in a year, according to the BBC.

Although there haven't been many big-name transfers this winter, aside from Swansea's Jonjo Shelvey and Tottenham's Andros Townsend both heading to Newcastle for £12 million apiece, there were some blockbuster deals in this past summer's transfer window. The 21-year-old Raheem Sterling became the most expensive English-born transfer ever when he was sold to Manchester City from Liverpool for £49 million ($76 million). And assuming there isn't any late-breaking drama this evening, Manchester United's £58 million ($83 million) move for striker Anthony Martial could end up being the most expensive transfer of the season in the Premier League, as well as the most most expensive UK transfer of all time.

England’s biggest spending soccer club just signed the world’s most-coveted coach

Before Sheikh Mansour's Abu Dhabi United Group took over Manchester City for £210 million in the summer of 2008, the club's highest transfer fee paid was £13 million for Nicolas Anelka in 2002. A newly promoted club at the time, City were hoping to cement their place in English football's top tier. These days though, the club have loftier ambitions. Since the takeover, Abu Dhabi United Group's investment in the club has topped £1 billion pounds with player purchases alone are pegged at more than £800 million.

Mansour's investment has not been limited to playing personnel as he has also pumped money into the club's infrastructure. In 2014, the club opened its 80 acre, £200 million football campus. Mansour's ambitions for the English club are quite clear: to establish it as a dominant global football brand. While elite players have been signed, the club has long been in the hunt for an elite manager. That search has ended as Manchester City have announced the signing of Pep Guardiola, on a three-year contract.

Guardiola's appeal is simple: he wins things. Only eight years into his managerial career, Guardiola has already won 19 major trophies. In his first senior season as a manager, Guardiola led Barcelona to a historic treble—winning the Spanish league, Spanish Cup and Champions League. The club also completed a clean sweep of six trophies in the 2009 calendar year. Guardiola moved on to Bayern Munich in 2013 and has also continued to add to his reputation winning successive Bundesliga titles.

As his next destination starting this summer, City will be looking to Pep Guardiola to keep his remarkable winning streak going to help them achieve their target of becoming a global powerhouse. While Sheikh Mansour's eight years so far have not exactly been a total write-off as the club have won two Premier League titles and three domestic cups, the club's failings in the Champions League have undermined their global ambitions. The importance of the Champions League, a title Guardiola has won twice, lies in the fact that it is seen as a more accurate assessment of the club's place among Europe's elite clubs.

Bagging Guardiola's signature is also a win in itself. Easily the world's most-sought after manager, Guardiola could literally have any job he wanted but his selection of City is a validation of sorts of the club's growth and ambitions, particularly with its larger city rival Manchester United and London club Chelsea also likely in the hunt for a new manager for this summer.

The club will seek to leverage Guardiola's expected on-pitch success it also chases ambitions off the pitch. One of those is to expand its revenue base like Manchester United. The club will also be banking on the club's increased appeal to build a global fan-base. In China, an increasingly crucial football market, City already have some leverage as  a Chinese consortium bought a 13% stake in club late last year.