By Fahad Al Ghadani — MUSCAT: April 10 - Authorities are urging netizens in the Sultanate to ignore wild and unfounded news items posted on social media, the spread of which has the potential to unleash panic in the local community, officials have warned. The appeal came in response to the discovery of a suspicious bag that was found abandoned near the Ministry of Manpower, with some posts suggesting that explosives were found. That claim was roundly refuted by the official which found the contents to be anything but dangerous.
“The bag was full of clothes items apparently belonging to a man who must be unwittingly left it behind,” said an official source. “There was no reason to twist this development and suggest on social media that it contained something harmful.” Speaking to Observer, the official source said that reports of suspicious packages, averaging about 2-3 per week, are handled professionally by the authorities. Alerted by a caller about the presence of an unidentified bag near the ministry building, the official despatched a special team to investigate the report. The package was ruled as benign when its contents revealed a stash of clothes.
“When such reports are received, a specialised team from the police is rushed to the spot. A robot may be deployed when the threat level is high,” the source said. He went on to criticise what he described as the irresponsible portrayal of the incident on social media. “It may be fun for some people to spread unfounded reports, but this is not something to joke about! Those spreading wild stories will be taken to task. Fake news tends to spark wild rumours and also concerns for those living and working in areas cited in the reports. Fake news can have unintended consequences,” he warned.
In the wake of the incident, several commentators pointed out that the only way to deal with fake news is to ignore it all together.
“It is best to deny the purveyors of such fake news the satisfaction of seeing their handiwork go viral, and that is by ignoring or deleting it altogether,” the source added.
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
