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Episode details

World Service,01 Mar 2014,17 mins

False 'Flesh Eating' Prophecy Goes Viral

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Available for over a year

How panic spread on social media in the Philippines when a media report misleadingly uncovered a ‘flesh-eating skin disease’ and then linked it to an apocalyptic prophecy made by an Indian holy man. More than 20,000 people have followed a Twitter account set up by Oscar Pistorius's PR team - just days before the start of his murder trial. But what will the implications be for the course of justice itself? Could this be the first trial by social media? And acclaimed novelist Philip Pullman, author of His Dark Materials, joins twitter to tell the story of Jeffrey – a fly. He tells us why he can’t kill this character off. And what’s the appeal of #TwitchPlaysPokemon – the game that everyone plays and no-one controls? Presented by Mukul Devichand. Join the conversation on Twitter @BBCTrending

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