By Washira Helene
Phoenix, a popular news reporting platform is on fire after redistributing an article by Camerounweb with a catchy headline insinuating that ace French basketballer, Yanick Noah was about to overthrow Samuel Eto’o as President of the Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT).
The article published on Thursday, July 6, 2023, which is fake, has generated mixed reactions.
The body of the article carried no other concrete information supporting the headline. This has led to many people demanding a shutdown of Phoenix as they are fast becoming popular for publishing fake and unsourced information.
The article came at a time when Samuel Eto’o is facing increasing pressure to resign as FECAFOOT president. Many football experts have called for his resignation, citing his poor management of the federation.
Phoenix’s article about Yanick Noah was seen by many as an attempt to divert attention from the real problems at FECAFOOT. The article has also been seen as an attempt to sow discord between the two sportsmen, who are both national icons in Cameroon.
“This Phoenix app is just crazy. I wonder where they get their own information. Always posting fake things just to catch attention” said a user.
Many people are now calling for the app and browser to be sanctioned, as they believe that it is a threat to the integrity of journalism in Cameroon.
“The app should be reported or shut down. I am just tired of their unsourced information all the time” added another user.
Phoenix, which does not itself write original articles, repurposes stories from across the internet, most of which are not verified.
