In China, the #CCP has convinced a lot of people that the #coronavirus was imported into Wuhan by the U.S. military.
Here’s how they did it:
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The conspiracy theory is not new. @vanessa_molter and @gwbstr from the Stanford Internet Observatory found a YouTube video debunking the theory from early January. Since then it has been shared and boosted by state media and CCP officials.
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While it has been debunked globally, inside China it has taken hold and is widely discussed on social media like #Wechat and #Weibo.
“Sadly most Chinese people really believe the U.S. brought the virus to China and they call it ‘USA virus.’”
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There are two main reasons why the theory has taken hold.
1. A complete lack of access to information outside that sanctioned by Beijing.
2. Decades of indoctrination against the US — in textbooks, movies, and many other avenues
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"When the government spreads disinformation about other countries and blocks counter-narratives, it's much easier for people to buy into government narratives because you just don’t have access to alternative sources of information,” @yaqui from @hrw
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There is no shortage of examples of the CCP cracking down on topics it doesn't like on WeChat and Weibo, but by allowing this conspiracy theory to spread unchecked, Beijing it effectively giving it a seal of approval @vshih2 says
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The reason why the CCP allows this conspiracy theory to spread is simple:
“Propaganda like this largely serves the leadership's interests in that it takes attention away from other problems in China,” Charlie Smith from @GreatFireChina
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