Covid-19 lab leak: Did the media fall victim to a misinformation campaign? | Hacker News Reader

Covid-19 lab leak: Did the media fall victim to a misinformation campaign?

bmj.com

No, it's simpler. There were a bunch of scientists who hated trump and don't want people to say bad things about china because they think it always leads to more racism. That led them to deny a hypothesis that was always theoretically possible (virologists who claim otherwise are simply wrong), which is nonscientific. The media then picked up on this, and the subset of media which hated trump and thinks that saying bad things about china always leads to more racism ran with it, attempting to give it the imprimatur of authority.

From TFA:

   A leader in this campaign has been Peter Daszak, president of EcoHealth Alliance, a non-profit organisation given millions of dollars in grants by the US federal government to research viruses for pandemic preparedness.1 Over the years EcoHealth Alliance has subcontracted out its federally supported research to various scientists and groups, including around $600 000 (£434 000; €504 000) to the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

   Daszak’s behind-the-scenes role in orchestrating the statement in the Lancet came to light in November 2020 in emails obtained through freedom of information requests by the watchdog group US Right To Know.

   "Please note that this statement will not have EcoHealth Alliance logo on it and will not be identifiable as coming from any one organization or person,” wrote Daszak in a February email, while sending around a draft of the statement for signatories. In another email, Daszak considered removing his name from the statement “so it has some distance from us and therefore doesn’t work in a counterproductive way.”

It appears that there was some behind the scenes manipulation going on by Daszak

So the 'conspiracy theorists' were right about this one, and they were silenced because 'conspiracy'? Or was it to get a certain villain out of office at all costs? Even if it means lying to the whole world?

Well I guess it is better to wait for the actual facts to unveil themselves and listen to every side of the argument (Including the crazy ones) and form your own opinion around this, rather then outright dismiss, de-platform, ban and control the narrative to silence anyone else saying otherwise.

Seems that the media became the conspiracy theorists at that point and peddled this narrative until this villain was expunged. This isn't the first time they create villians of the week, month or the year.

But hey, the lies are free but their version of the truth is always behind a paywall.

> ... and form your own opinion around this

I think this is the bottom line, it is up to each of us to do our own due diligence and to come to our own conclusions. Labeling something a conspiracy theory is more about controlling what people think than anything else.

"Don't think this or you will be ridiculed"

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