Claim: Some online users share a digital newscard with the details of the Accra-based media network Citi Newsroom and Citi TV. The card quotes the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress, John Mahama, describing his running mate in the 2020 general elections as “being slow.”
Verdict: This is false. Citi Newsroom has indicated they did not design the newscard which has their logo. They have gone further to place a fake stamp on it.
Full Text
Some social users are sharing a newscard that quotes the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress, John Mahama, as saying that he needs “an energetic running mate to win the 2024 elections,” adding that his running mate in the 2020 polls, Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, “is too slow.”
The card has the image of the two together and has the logo of the Accra-based media channel Citi Newsroom.
This card has gone viral on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Some users who have shared the card can be found here, here, here, and here.
With John Mahama ready to choose a vice presidential candidate amidst drama and lobbying from different quarters, DUBAWA decided to investigate if the viral news card is authentic.
Verification
Our first point of call was to check the social media channels of Citi FM to ascertain if they had posted the news card on their platform. There was no such post when we checked on Thursday, August 31, 2023.
The researcher also checked the credible online platforms to see if any of them had published a story like that. There was none.
However, in the early hours of Friday, September 1, the Citi FM social media handles shared the image with a fake stamp on it. They captioned the post: “Please note that the news card below is fake and isn’t from Citi Newsroom.”
Conclusion
Citi Newsroom has indicated they did not design the news card, which has their logo. They have gone further to place a fake stamp on it.
