December 01, 2020
“Fake news isn’t just news you don’t like. Fake news is designed to spread confusion and obscure the truth with lies, hoaxes and conspiracies, and there is a lot of it around…” according to the BBC.
Author’s Note: This article’s goal is to encourage Reuters, the digital group Access Now, NMG and The East African’s editorial boards to consider taking responsibility, including, making the necessary corrections for the fake news they spread and to apologize for publishing fake news and disinforming their readers, including their shareholders.
Furthermore, this piece’s objective is also to bring to the attention of my readers the dishonesty of Reuters, including its correspondent in Ethiopia, Giulia Paravicini, and Dawit Endeshaw, Reuters’ Journalist based in Ethiopia, Andrew McLaughlin, President of Access Now and Aggrey Mutambo, “Nation Media Group’ [a.k.a. Nation] writer and The East African news website.
Reuters’ Handbook of Journalism stated “Accuracy and fairness are the hallmarks of Thomson Reuters journalism. Neither accuracy or nor fairness must ever be sacrificed for speed. If we lose our reputation for accuracy and fairness we lose everything. We reinforce to readers our commitment to accuracy and fairness by being totally honest about rectifying errors – promptly and openly…”
Reuters, which is owned by Thomson Reuters, has been one of my trustworthy sources of information, including news. However, I have now started questioning the accuracy, balance and fairness of some of its news stories.
For example, its article titled Ethiopia’s PM seeks to regain control over restive Tigray region –which was written by Journalists Giulia Paravicini and Dawit Endeshaw – contains news that isn’t true (fake news), incomplete citation, inaccurate information and biased news, among other things.
For instance, Reuters paraphrased: “His [PM Abiy Ahmed] government cut phone and internet communications to the region, according to the digital rights group Access Now, making it impossible to verify official accounts. Government officials accused the TPLF of shutting down communications.”
Full article is available here in a PDF format
