A social media post claiming The Namibian reported that farmer Koos Brandt and his wife were attacked at their farm is fake. The Namibian confirms that the post did not come from the newspaper. Brandt confirmed to The Namibian that a robbery took place at his farm but said he was out of the country at the time.
The newspaper urges the public not to share the fake post and to read the full report in Friday’s edition.
The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) warned last year about the spread of false information on social media.
Through its Namibia Fact Check project, the institute found that artificial intelligence (AI)and WhatsApp played a major role in spreading misinformation during Namibia’s 2024 presidential and National Assembly elections.
IPPR media lead Frederico Links said social media platforms were used to spread false claims and attack political leaders.
At the time, IPPR director Graham Hopwood warned that AI was increasingly being used to create fake images and clone voices to mislead the public.
