A GROUP calling itself the Marine Liberation Society has claimed responsibility for impersonating the KZN Sharks Board following the publishing of a fake media release in the Northglen News.

The document announced that the Sharks Board would be removing shark nets and drumlines across the KZN coastline and replacing it with new technology in the form of an electromagnetic barrier system.

The fake statement also said the new system aims to ‘reduce shark and bycatch fatalities to zero’.

A copy of the media release reflected the legitimate KZN Sharks Board’s stationery. It also featured a fake email signature purporting to be that of the board’s media co-ordinator.

Northglen News implemented standard pre-publication checks and confirmed that the document had been issued by the board, which seemed to have been the case.

However, shortly after publishing an article titled “Barrier system replaces shark nets,” the publication was notified that the statement was fake. Its apparent legitimacy was the result of website cloning.

Yet a fake press release and website cloning was not the full extent of the misrepresentation. Three emails were exchanged between the journalist and a man named ‘Chris Lategan’.

He provided slides used in the original false statement and additional information on how the new system would supposedly work. It also contained quotes from lead scientist Dr. Jacob Ramsammy whom, it has since transpired, does not exist.

On Wednesday last week, the Marine Liberation Society, while taking responsibility for the misrepresentation, said their aim was to show the shark nets were an ‘archaic relic’ and were nothing more ‘than floating death traps’.

It is unclear whether the group actually exists as there are no web pages or social media accounts that link to the group name. A number originally linked to the statement goes straight to voicemail without the option to leave a message.

Since the group came forward, alleging they were behind the fake statement, the home page of the cloned website now has a message saying: “On the 7th of July a small group of activists known as the MLS released the story; a story which we should’ve woken up to in a perfect world. It was released in the heart of KZN by a local newspaper. For a couple of days, people believed that a better world was indeed possible. It is our mission to make that idea a reality.”

There’s been no response from the official KZN Sharks Board on the cloned website or the alleged aims of the group in question.

Northglen News spoke to media law attorney, Helene Viljoen, who labelled the society’s conduct as an irresponsible abuse of the right to freedom of expression.

“Our law frowns upon the intentional misleading of the media. This is not the first time such grave abuse of the fourth estate has taken place. In 1998, a watershed judgment was issued by the Supreme Court of Appeal judgment in the matter of National Media Ltd v Bogoshi. The court held that media are not liable for defamation if they acted reasonably when publishing on matters of public interest. Similarly, in the seminal 2002 case of Khumalo v Holomisa, the Constitutional Court affirmed that reasonable publication protects freedom of expression and may exclude liability, even if the statements prove false.”

She concluded that, in this era of mis- and disinformation, regular citizens should act with circumspection before publishing information.

“If you knowingly distribute fake news, the law will hold you accountable – regardless of how noble your intention may have been. And if you had misled the media in the process, I cannot imagine that such conduct would be tolerated by our judicial authorities.”

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