Musaazi NAMITI | Media Literacy
Last month, several websites published articles saying Jason Arday, the former Cambridge professor who was found dead at an address in South London on August 14, had been cleared of plagiarism. He was 41.
The news piqued readers’ interest because many people blamed sections of the media for the intense scrutiny the scholar faced in the weeks before his death. Arday was named the youngest Black professor in Cambridge University’s history.
The websites that published the story included Emerald Book, which describes itself as a publication focused on growing the Black economy; Byline Times, a monthly newspaper based in the UK; and Peoples Gazette Nigeria. Although the story was shared widely on social media, it did not receive coverage from the major mainstream news organisations that had extensively reported the earlier allegations.
In 2025, two other stories about prominent public figures were shared widely on social media, and some news sites published them—but none of the well-established news organisations, including international ones, reported them.
One story claimed former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta had been hospitalised with cancer. Another claimed the house of Tanzania’s Speaker of Parliament, Tulia Ackson, had been set on fire.
Many news consumers take a story trending on social media as gospel truth. But virality is not verification. A widely shared story can be anything from misleading to completely false.
In Prof Arday’s case, however, the headline saying he had been cleared of plagiarism was broader than the latest finding warranted. Byline Times reported that scientific publisher Taylor & Francis had found no grounds for adding to a correction notice already issued in 2024 concerning one of Arday’s journal articles. This was not the same as a fresh, blanket clearance of every allegation concerning his academic work.
Liverpool John Moores University had separately investigated his 2015 PhD thesis and did not uphold the plagiarism allegations, describing the citation problems as resulting from “honest and reasonable error”. These were separate findings and should not be conflated.
News consumers interested in media literacy should always look at how established news organisations are covering an important story. If major outlets are not reporting a significant development involving a Cambridge professor who had been making headlines for months, that should become a warning signal.
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Of course, major news organisations sometimes miss big stories for a variety of reasons. But if they are not reporting a story they would ordinarily be expected to cover, news consumers need to ask questions rather than simply accepting what is circulating on social media.
How, for example, could major news organisations fail to report a former president being hospitalised with cancer if the story were true? How could the house of a Speaker of Parliament be burnt down without credible photographs or independent reporting?
News consumers also need to check the source. The story may be coming from someone with a vested interest, but if independent sources corroborate it, that changes the entire picture. It is also important to establish whether different publications have independently verified a story or are simply repeating the same original report. In Prof Arday’s case, Peoples Gazette cited Byline Times, meaning the two publications did not constitute independent confirmation of the latest Taylor & Francis finding.
Verifying photographs, dates and locations also helps. Individuals behind fake news sometimes use old images, photographs that have been misrepresented or taken out of context, or AI-generated images. In the case of Mr Kenyatta, the photograph purporting to show him in hospital had signs of an AI generation. The photograph purportedly showing Ms Ackson’s house on fire was traced to 2007. It had nothing to do with her home or the 2025 protests in Tanzania.
Then there is confirmation bias. People are more likely to believe and share information that reinforces their existing opinions. In the case of Prof Arday’s story, Emerald Book describes its mission as growing the Black economy, while Byline Times says it is not politically partisan but is not neutral and stands against corruption and injustice. These positions do not automatically invalidate their reporting, but readers should understand the editorial context in which information is presented and independently examine the evidence supporting specific claims.
Finally, sharing is also publishing. Before forwarding or reposting a claim, verify it. When in doubt, do not share.
The next time you come across a story claiming that a former president has cancer, a Speaker’s house has been burnt down or a prominent academic has been cleared of allegations that attracted international attention, remember that thousands of people sharing it does not make it true. Ask where the story originated, what evidence supports it and whether independent sources have confirmed it.
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