Abstract
A fake news story can travel half way across the world as the truth puts on its socks. There are myriads of challenges facing journalists in spotting fake news hence its wide proliferation. Fake news has become a prominent subject of enquiry especially following its alleged influence of the 2016 general elections in US. Unfortunately, research on fake news has focused on social media, politics, elections, and economies. Few studies have focused on the challenges that TV journalists face in spotting fake news prompting this study. The specific research question was; what are the challenges facing television journalists in spotting fake news in Kenya? The study adapted a relativist-constructivist/interpretivist ontology and epistemology, qualitative approach and multiple case study methodology. Data was generated through in-depth interviews, direct observation and documents review. The study used purposive sampling to generate data from 16 journalists. Data was then analysed in themes and presented in narrative form. Key findings were that in spotting fake news, journalists faced challenges like; loss of viewers, lack of authoritative contacts, sources who gave fake news for personal, business, political, and economic benefits, ability of fake news to camouflage real news, speed of fake news, typologies of fake news, live reporting, inexperienced correspondents and interns, and social media. The study concludes that the challenges facing journalists in spotting fake news were majorly based on sources, technology, education, skills and training, and its typology. The study therefore recommends that editorial boards invest in experts to train journalists on styles, architecture, propagation and use of fake news, inoculation of journalists and audiences, raising fake news literacy levels, and use of technology based approaches like reverse search and fact checking sites.
 Key words: Fake news, journalists, spotting, challenges, television, Kenya
Highlights
The challenge of fake news has emerged as a new frontier for credibility and trust of journalist and the journalism profession
Editors and reporters in Kenyan television stations face a myriad of challenges in spotting fake news
Participants informed that if this was repeatedly done and viewers found that your television channel is always late with breaking news, they permanently migrate to channels that were fast enough to give them the confirmation they wanted in time
Summary
The challenge of fake news has emerged as a new frontier for credibility and trust of journalist and the journalism profession. Fake news ranged from Pope Francis endorsing Donald Trump for presidency; Wiki leaks confirmation that Hilary Clinton sold weapons to Islamic States (ISIS); leaked emails by Hillary Clinton to ISIS that their relationship was over; legal confirmation that Hillary Clinton was unfit to hold public office; and that the Federal British Investigation (FBI) agent suspected in Hillary Clinton’s email leaks found dead in apartment murder-suicide (Silverman, 2016). This fake news came at a crucial time when Americans were going to the poll and the presidential seat was hotly contested by Donald Trump and former Secretary of States for the US, Hillary Clinton. Adults in the US believed in fake news headlines 75% of times they were posted (Silverman & Singer-Vine, 2016)
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