Tensions have erupted on the social media platform X as the Pro-NPP E-Newsletter, The NPP’s TESCON Informant, engages in a dispute with The Fourth Estate over the alleged cloning of the latter’s design.
The conflict arose when The NPP’s TESCON Informant utilized a graphic design featuring the logo “Fact Check Ghana” to challenge the claims made by North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, regarding inflated contracts for road projects.
In response, The Fourth Estate swiftly denounced the act, labeling it as fake and urging The NPP’s TESCON Informant to cease cloning their designs.
However, The NPP’s TESCON Informant defended its actions, arguing that The Fourth Estate, known for its investigative journalism, had failed to conduct proper fact-checks on the comments attributed to Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
“When Okudzeto lied, you couldn’t come out with a fact check now you are here claiming this is fake! Tell us what is fake here! You do rubbish fact checking in this country and when people do proper fact checking, you are claiming it is fake. Provide evidences showing the information on the artwork is fake!” it wrote.
Mr Ablakwa, the NPP E-Newsletter said, had alleged that findings from an Audit Report on Cocoa Roads Improvement Projects showed inflation in contracts awarded for the Effutu – Abirem Agona Road and the Kyiboso – Hasowodze Bungalow Feeder Road projects.
However, the “Fact Check Ghana” design by The NPP’s TESCON Informantclaimed that a review of the Audit Report did not support Ablakwa’s allegations. It stated that the Auditor General did not indicate in the report that these road projects were overpriced.
Interjecting into the argument, an X user, @_Fiifi_Sage, noted that there is a difference in the design.
“Stop posting FAKE NEWS! “FactCheckGhana” is not the same as “Fact-Check Ghana”,” he wrote.
The Fourth Estate replied, “Mis/disinformation merchant, STOP IT! You cannot use our name, colours and our template for your propaganda.”
The NPP E-Newsletter waded into the conversation again, buttressing the point raised by @_Fiifi_Sage. It further elaborated that the use of the colours of the national flag can be used by all.
“Name? FactCheckGhana=Fact-Check Ghana? Logo? Now the Ghana flag is your individual property colours? Red, yellow, green, black are colours every Ghanaian is associated with because those are the colours that defines us! Template? You clearly are clueless as to how your template looks like!
“Propaganda? Who proves a what a propaganda is? Fourth Estate? You must be kidding us. Bring facts to disprove the propaganda you are talking about!” it added.
Fact-Check Ghana itself commented on the issue after an X user asked whether the concern was the information provided or the logo used.
The media house noted that its name, logo and colours have been used on a flier it did not churn out, and therefore called for a halt.
“The flyer you have published bears our name, our logo and our colours. But it did not come from us. This is IMPOSTER CONTENT. Desist from it. Disinformation poses a menacing threat to credible elections, peace, stability and the consolidation of the Ghanaian democracy. STOP IT!”
The NPP E-Newsletter believes that The Fourth Estate is clueless of its job.
“Do you even understand your job? Fourth Estate, m’adi mo ho yaw paa! If you don’t know your job, then let me help you out understand what you do, you prove with evidences why a news is fake, you don’t just say a news is fake. Since you’ve deviated from what you do, we will give you a grace period to go back and do a proper homework and come back with evidences to disprove the information on the artwork you claim has been cloned is Fake. Feel free to ask for assistance when you are finding this difficult, we will all come to your aid!” it wrote.
