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6 Times Malta Fell Victim To Fake News

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It seems like no one is safe from the phenomenon of fake news in the 21st century, and Malta is no exception. 

Here are six times our country was expected to fall for an obviously fake news story.

1. From Eurovision to a life of hustling

Gianluca

Maltese doctor-singer Gianluca Bezzina was famously a victim of fake news when it was reported that he was a casino worker who had all the secrets to winning big.

2. Miss Escobar?

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One of the most recent examples of fake news hitting our shares, UK news agency Metro ran a story claiming that Malta’s Miss Universe contestant Martha Fenech was arrested at London’s Heathrow Airport for trying to smuggle two kilos of cocaine hidden in two bags of coffee inside two suitcases.

“This is a very serious accusation. It taints my name, it taints Malta’s name,” said Ms Fenech, adding that she intended to report the claim to the cyber police. She also posted a comment on Facebook saying: “I do hope that you all realise that the current news being shared about me is completely fake! Regards from Malta…not the UK.”

3. The World’s Most Depressing Photo (allegedly) 

Highly talented Maltese wildlife photographer Alison Buttigieg fell victim to fake news this February when social media kept resharing a purported story of her being led to depression after taking a photo of a deer sacrificing itself to defend her two fawns against a pack of cheetahs.

“As the hours went by and it just started to spread everywhere, it wasn’t funny anymore, because there was absolutely nothing I could do about it,” she said. Even some of her friends, who Alison assumed would see past the fake news, had reached out checking whether she was OK.

4. An elaborate scam with multiple victims

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While 31-year-old Neville Borg was the main victim of this fake news story, the phishing article on behalf of a casino chain called Zodiac Casinos also roped in big names like Net News to try and make the whole thing even more believable… and to try and get more people to click.

“It’s very surreal,” Neville had said. “At first I found it hilarious and had a good laugh about it. I also put up a post on my Facebook page to that effect. But now it’s quite annoying given the post hasn’t been taken down and trying to have it removed is turning into a bureaucratic black hole.”

5. European Capital of Cannibalism 2017

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This particular fake news story has been making the rounds all over Facebook, and it seems like quite a lot of people actually believed it. 

Fake news website MegaNews360 came out with an article which claimed that, “A hotel restaurant in Valletta, Malta has been closed down by authorities for serving human flesh to consumers. According to our local correspondent, suspicious residents told police of rumors that the restaurant was cooking human meat for customers. Police then raided the restaurant, where they discovered processed human hands and fresh human heads that were still bleeding. The blood was in the process of being drained into a plastic bag. In addition to the illegal meat, authorities discovered automatic weapons, grenades, and cell phones. Ten people were arrested in conjunction with the crimes. For security reasons, the name of the restaurant is withheld for the mean time.”

Wow.

6. Not Edoardo!

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This is not the first time that MegaNews360 ran a fake story about Malta, but they might’ve gone a bit too far with this one. “The longest serving president in the history of malta, Edoardo “Eddie” Fenech Adami, KUOM, has died this afternoon shortly after being rushed to Mater Dei Hospital, following long battled heart ailment,” the story claimed. 

What’s even worse about this is that a couple of weeks after this story was proven as fake, the site posted an updated version of this hoax on the Facebook Group Archdiocese of Malta-Unofficial Page, this time claiming it was a case of food poisoning, and that the former President was instead rushed to St. Luke’s Hospital… in Valletta.

Tag a friend who won’t believe what happens next!

READ NEXT: Joseph Muscat Did It First, But Now Donald Trump Is Using ‘Fake News’ Against Journalists

Lovin Malta's Head of Content, Dave has been in journalism for the better half of the last decade. Prefers Instagram, but has been known to doomscroll on TikTok. Loves chicken, women's clothes and Kanye West (most of the time).

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