Doctored newspaper article misleads Sri Lankans about perpetrator of sword attack

The doctored newspaper headline says in Sinhala: "NPP supporter hacks his own party candidate with a sword".

The screenshot was shared in a Facebook post on February 20 which reads: "Imagine what will happen if they come to power: NPP murderers attack each other".

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A screenshot of a Facebook post sharing the doctored newspaper headline, taken on February 20

The doctored headline was shared in a string of posts, including here,here and here, with many Facebook users appearing to believe it showed a genuine report.

"Why is everyone surprised? If history is any indication, this is what the JVP excels in," one comment read.

JVP refers to Sri Lanka's People's Liberation Front, a former militant group that is the main driving force behind the NPP.

Another person wrote: "JVP back at it again, cannot hoodwink the public with the liberal act any longer."

Sri Lankan local elections scheduled for March 9 were postponed after the government said it had no money to finance the polls. The island has been battling a crippling economic crisis over the last three years.

The Supreme Court on March 3 ordered the Election Commission to go ahead with the polls. The Commission said it would announce a new election date in due course.

'Blatantly false'

The top-right corner of the image shared on Facebook features the logo of Sri Lankan TV channel Hiru.

AFP found the image in the February 16 episode of Hiru's morning show "Paththare Wisthare", which includes a segment on the day's newspaper headlines.

However, the original screenshot featured in the broadcast does not mention the NPP.

The original newspaper headline, which can be seen 35 minutes into the programme, reads: "SJB supporter hacks his own party candidate with a sword".

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The doctored newspaper headline (left) and the original headline (right)

According to the original article published in the Dinamina newspaper on February 16, an irked SJB supporter attacked a party candidate after he did not receive an invitation to the opening of the politician's campaign office in the town of Kuliyapitiya in northwestern Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka's Lankadeepa newspaper reported that three people were injured in the attack.

An NPP representative dismissed claims that the party was involved in the attack as "blatantly false".

"This is not the first time the NPP has been targeted with false claims using altered images by political opponents attempting to tarnish the reputation of the party," NPP spokesman Upul Ranjan told AFP on March 2.