Rabat – The Africa Cup of Nations 2025 brought not only joy to the continent but also a platform that some media, social media accounts, and trolling pages exploited to disseminate fake news and disinformation.
Some platforms frequently seize every opportunity, whether a smallest incident or a major event like the AFCON, to exploit the situation and spread fabricated narratives.
Fake news is not a new phenomenon in Morocco. The rise of social media and mobile technology, in addition to the expansion of AI, has massively amplified its impact.
Platforms digging for sensationalism exploit every moment to chase and stir emotions, deepening divisions and controversies.
Repeated endlessly, they create an atmosphere in which disinformation thrives. When a false report goes viral, many respond by assuming it must hold some truth, precisely because “everyone online” seems to say the same thing.
In this way, loosely grounded claims become the raw material from which fake news draws its “credibility,” and end up blurring the line between rumor, opinion, and fact, which in turn results in eroding any shared basis for a fair assessment of the tournament.
The damage extends beyond misinformation itself. For media outlets, even indirect participation in this dynamic, through uncritical reporting, sensational framing, or selective amplification, undermines journalistic responsibility and public trust.
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