Fake News: Media House Apologizes To Oyedepo Over U.S. Visa Report

The management of the THISDAY Newspapers says it has apologized to the presiding bishop of the Living Faith Church, David Oyedepo, over a ‘Visa’ story it published on Friday about him, adding that it was an error.

THISDAY disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.

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The media house had reported a story on “Drama as US Embassy Denies Bishop Oyedepo Visa” but later deleted it from its website same day.

“The newspaper had on Saturday published a Corrigendum, acknowledging the error in the publication, and apologized to the revered Bishop for the embarrassment the story might have caused him.

 “Following the rebuttal, the newspaper management investigated the publication and found that the two deputy editors failed to follow its well-established traditions of carrying out the necessary checks and confirmations expected of personnel of their status in a sensitive story of that nature,” the statement said.

Furthermore, THISDAY said it has taken disciplinary measures by suspending two of its staff involved in the story.

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“The management of THISDAY Newspapers Limited has suspended two of its deputy editors, Mr. Yemi Ajayi and Mr. Olawale Olaleye, over the story: “Drama as US Embassy Denies Bishop Oyedepo Visa,” published last Friday.

“The story, which claimed that Bishop Oyedepo was denied visa by the US Embassy, was subsequently refuted by the embassy to be false.

“They were, therefore, suspended indefinitely,” the statement said.

THE WHISTLER reported that the United States Embassy in Abuja, Nigeria, had denied the report.

“#FalseNews Alert! Be advised, the reports making the rounds about a visa being denied to Nigerian Bishop Oyedepo are false,” it said.

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