In 2014, an online newspaper was established in Los Angeles, United States. Its name? YourNewsWire. And in two years, it would gather thousands of engaging followers on its social media platforms, including Facebook.
YourNewsWire would soon become notorious for peddling hoaxes, false narratives and conspiracy theories about health and technology. In 2018, the website was rebranded and renamed “NewsPunch,” after being spotlighted for publishing fake stories debunked over 80 times. But it would not derail from publishing and promoting fake stories capable of setting society ablaze.
This website has recently been criticised for spreading propagandist stories, especially during the ravaging covid-19 pandemic. It was also at the centre of some anti-vaccination hoaxes, accusing Bill Gates of refusing to vaccinate his children and claiming that he “admitted that vaccinations are designed so that governments can depopulate the world.”
International reporters and…