ARAB NEWS Tuesday, September 25, 2018 13

The Saudi fast-food chain Al-Baik was sixth in a ranking of brands that young people talk Media positively about.

BRANDS Saudia top brand among KSA millennials

Rebecca Spong London

The national airline Saudia has knocked Apple off the top spot as the brand the Kingdom’s millen- nials are most likely to talk about positively with their friends and family, according to a new survey. Tech giant Apple fell to No. 3 in the top 10 brands this year, while social networking site Facebook failed to even rank at all, according to research compiled by YouGov. Consumer electronics brand Samsung also saw its popularity decrease, dropping to eighth place this year. Brands that saw an improve- ment in their reputation included the Saudi fast-food chain Al-Baik, which came in at No. 6, while construction firm Saudi Binladin Group and Saudi beverage brand Almarai made their debut in the THELIST The top three brands in Saudi Arabia, scored by how positively young people talk about them.

Saudia 76.2

iPhone JOURNALISM 75.9 ‘Fake news can kill people’ Misleading reports and plain lies spread like wildfire in the Internet age. But veteran BBC journalist Gavin Esler wants to fight back — with facts Apple

to a controversy that dates back media, false posts by dodgy being accurate. But are we actually Ben Flanagan London to the 1990s involving a fraudu- websites, or messages spread being sensible if we don’t know if From Brexit to Breitbart lent medical paper that claimed between people. that comment is based on any facts 75.2 News and Trump’s tweets, that the measles, mumps and In India, for example, numerous whatsoever? It is something that fake news has become rubella (MMR) vaccine could lead deaths have been attributed to Brexit is journalists have to be much more top 10, ranking at spot nine and 10 very real. to autism. The claim was widely rumors spread among people aware of.” respectively. reported by the media but eventu- via WhatsApp. The sharing of turning out Social media outlets such as Other drink brands including We’re surrounded by it. Whether ally discredited — yet led to a drop gruesome videos and photos of to be a really Facebook and Twitter also have a Aquafina, Fanta, Sprite and Diet it’s the size of the crowd at the US in vaccination rates and inevitable strangers has created mass hysteria responsibility to fight fake news Pepsi also saw improvements president’s inauguration, or at a deaths. in some villages, with mobs having really bad meal. and hate speech — although it in their brand perception, the teenager’s birthday party, we live “We are actually talking about attacked, and sometimes killed, might not always be in their best research found. in a world where exaggerations, children’s lives here,” said Esler. people they do not recognize. We ordered interests to do so, said Esler. “If The rankings are based on distortions and downright lies so “Fake news can kill people, and I This is an extreme example of somebody is driving traffic on responses collected online from often go unchecked. They have al- think that’s really really worrying.” what Esler calls the “awful echo steak and chips Twitter by saying something 18 to 34-year-olds over the past most become the norm. Fake news may take the form of chamber of phony news.” obnoxious, then that is actually year to discover the brands they Gavin Esler, former presenter skewed stories in the mainstream One of Esler’s particular and we got some good business for them. So their have discussed positively either in of the BBC’s flagship political bugbears is the fake news ability to limit it is limited by their person or online. show “Newsnight,” is under no epidemic around the Brexit debate raw chicken ability to cut their own profits.” “The top 10 list has a mix of travel illusion as to the seriousness of the in the UK. Those in favor of leaving Esler’s first experience as a and airline brands, consumer problem. the EU famously — yet falsely that smells bad. journalist was at his university brands, financial services and real For him, fake news is not — claimed that the move would newspaper, before working at the estate brands. These brands have merely something that can skew There are allow additional funding of £350 fake news around such divisive Belfast Telegraph in Northern managed to harness the power the public’s opinion and political million ($460 million) a week to political debates? Ireland, and later the BBC. of word of mouth and have been debates. It can be deadly. people who the National Health Service. Aside from scrutinizing the facts, So if he could turn back the clock, successful in shaping a positive “We’ve never had a political “I accepted the vote, until I editors should be more wary of would he still become a journalist brand image,” said Scott Booth, culture where lies being told so appear on realized just how deceitful the bogus or partisan “experts” when given the difficulties of the profes- head of YouGov BrandIndex in the shamelessly don’t seem to have ‘leave’ campaign had been — there seeking commentary on the issues sion in the fake-news age? Esler Middle East and North Africa. any consequences,” he told Arab television who were lies, they cheated, the money of the day, said Esler. said writing is in his blood — but Millennials and non-millennials News in an interview. was used illegally according to the “What we’ve seen in the last 20 had some words of advice for alike may have been won over by “That may have something to are paid for by Electoral Commission. years is a constant denigration of others looking to enter the media. Saudia’s announcement earlier do with the technology, but this is “Brexit is turning out to be a expertise and experts,” he said. “What I do say to our university this month to introduce free-of- people lying to your face and not shadowy think really really bad meal. We ordered “There are people who appear students who study journalism (is charge access to social messaging being punished for it.” tanks whose steak and chips and we’ve now got on television who are paid for that) if you want to be a journalist apps such as Facebook Messenger, In the Internet age fake news some raw chicken that smells bad. by shadowy think tanks whose because you want to be famous and WhatsApp and iMessage for spreads like wildfire — but it is not, financing they And I’m not going to swallow it — financing they won’t come clean be on television, that’s possibly not onboard guests. of course, a new problem. and I don’t think other people are about. the right career for you. It is said to be the first airline in Esler — who is now an author won’t come going to swallow it either.” “If someone appears on televi- “But if you are relentlessly Europe, the Middle East, Africa and and chancellor of the University So what can the mainstream sion and makes a comment, and curious about just about anything, Asia to introduce complimentary of Kent in his native UK — points clean about. media do to fight the scourge of we quote that comment, we are it might possibly be.” social media messaging on flights.