THREAD
A thread about #CoronaVirus conspiracy theories, how their sources and amplifiers so frequently promote other conspiracy theories, and why. Sorry it’s a bit long. I
A thread about #CoronaVirus conspiracy theories, how their sources and amplifiers so frequently promote other conspiracy theories, and why. Sorry it’s a bit long. I
A lot of the #COVID19 conspiracy theories come from states, typically authoritian states whose weaknesses are exposed by the virus.
China, for example
China, for example
Venezuela is also pumping out fake news about the virus. Check this thread by @pauloCanning
Cuba has its own propaganda machine going too, claiming they have a socialist cure for the virus if only the capitalist world would let them unleash it. 
But in some ways worse than authoritarian states and their paid agents pushing disinfo is the volunteer army of fellow travellers who buy into and spread their myths.
This UK-based Twitter tankie kid presumably believed this nonsense, even though almost everything he says here is easily shown to be false.
(Here’s a concise summary of why the Cuban anti-viral story is wrong )
(A longer version in this thread )
Young Josh and Professor Tim are (presumably) not paid agents of Cuba; they’re promoting lies because they believe them. In the next part of this thread, I’ll look at what leads to this way of thinking.
Got to head out now. Resuming later.
The bit after the break will draw on this thread, which is also still under development
This Yale Books blogpost has been getting some juice, giving some academic sheen to the Cuban magic drug meme. It’s by a scholar so it must be legit? Thing is, her scholarship isn’t on health; it’s about how cool Cuban “socialism” is. She knows about as much about viruses as I do
(As an aside for my fellow sectarian-left trainspotters, this academic is also an activist in—& daughter of the guru of—the tiny anti-imperialist cult called the Revolutionary Communist Group.)
That’s typical of the conspiracy theory scene, which craves the authority of professors, and mimics the conventions of mainstream science, with “working groups” and “briefing papers” and acres of footnotes.
m.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/the-usef…
m.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/the-usef…
Because there is a paradox at the heart of conspiracism: its starting point is a radical doubt, but it’s devotees are highly credulous and susceptible to the trappings of authority.
This is a point @KeithKahnHarris makes well in his brilliant book on “denialism”. He puts it like this: “Denialism is a mix of corrosive doubt and corrosive credulity.” nottinghilleditions.com/product/denial…
Couple of examples of how conspiracy theory attempts to mimic mainstream science to exploit this corrosive credulity:
Michel Chossudovsky’s GlobalResearch, one of the main conspiracism websites, styles itself as a “research centre”, the the Centre for Research on Globalization.
Michel Chossudovsky’s GlobalResearch, one of the main conspiracism websites, styles itself as a “research centre”, the the Centre for Research on Globalization.
Or Mark Curtis, a widely shared conspiracist, is badged as an “author” and his books are heavily footnoted. But if you look carefully at the footnotes, as @Vorkoz did, you’ll see at least half of them are to other conspiracy theorists & Duginist websites.
Afraid I’ve got to take a break as too much on today, but I’ll be back later, and focus in on some of the Corona Virus conspiracy theories.
Ok I’m back. Next, a couple of points about how conspiracism works.
First, people who believe in one conspiracy theory are more likely to believe others...
First, people who believe in one conspiracy theory are more likely to believe others...
Because of the mix of radical doubt & credulity noted above, folks who distrust “official” knowledge on one topic start to question it on others - while remaining open to suggestion from the entrepreneurs of “alternative” knowledge...
Hence many Corona Virus conspiracy theorists are also Syria chemical weapons deniers or climate change deniers.
Another example
This feature of conspiracism also enables its devotees to believe contradictory theories simultaneously. For example, Syria chem weapons truthers often push Seymour Hersh’s and Ted Postol’s versions of one 2017 attack, even though fundamentally incompatible. Same with COVID19…
GlobalResearch publishes claims that the virus is a hoax AND that it originated in the US. They can’t both be true. globalresearch.ca/selected-artic…
The usual conspiracy theorists are gushing over Dr Bhakdi, coz they love to appeal to authority even as they love to look contrarian. But Bhakdi’s premise is that we only die of CV19 in polluted areas & that deaths would reach just 30 a day in Germany, both refuted by reality.
COVID19 as a vector for wingnut (and usually antisemitic) conspiracist theories to enter the mainstream. Shame on @LondonLive.
Some of the cranks mentioned further up this thread appear in this article: thetimes.co.uk/article/britis…
Deeply irresponsible use of the word “experts” in The Sun. One of them is Professor of International Public Health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. The other is a professional contrarian who has literally no expertise in any relevant field.
Five themes run through what follows, some of them already introduced earlier in the thread:
a/ The role of the mainstream media in allowing fringe ideas to get positive attention, e.g. by ignorantly portraying cranks as experts or by cynically using wild stories for click
bait
a/ The role of the mainstream media in allowing fringe ideas to get positive attention, e.g. by ignorantly portraying cranks as experts or by cynically using wild stories for click
bait
b/ conspiracism’s appeal to apparent (but often flimsy) authority, eg by pushing forward academics who turn out to be media studies experts or promoting the medical expertise of people who turn out to be alternative practitioners
c/ the ability of conspiracism to bind ideologically disparate actors, eg bringing together fascists & leftists
d/ the tendency of people who fall for one conspiracy theory to fall for another too
d/ the tendency of people who fall for one conspiracy theory to fall for another too
e/ the role of authoritarian states’ English-language media channels in amplifying all of these theories
(You’ll see 2 groups pop up a lot: the Org for Propaganda Studies/OPS & Working Group on Syria, Propaganda & Media/SPM, who embody these themes: academic credentials, leftist gloss but multiple connections to fascists, push other denialisms, & promoted by Russian state media)
The first two main Corona conspiracy theories to get going mirrored each other: the Chinese & Iranian state and their advocates floated the idea that it was a US bioweapon, while Trump supporters and other right-wing oddjobs claimed it was a Chinese bioweapon…
…The US bioweapon idea was pushed by Russian state media euvsdisinfo.eu/sputnik-corona…
…And it was pushed by pro-Chinese & pro-Russian Internet grifters supposedly on the left, such as Ben Norton & Max Blumenthal of Grayzone.
…Blumenthal, supposedly on the left, joined forces with various far right types to spread this particular Corona conspiracy theory
Meanwhile, the Chinese bioweapon theory has been promoted by former UKIP leader Gerard Batten...
…The Chinese bioweapon theory reached into the mainstream right, e.g. being shared by Tory MP Tobias Ellwood in a subsequently deleted tweet
…The Chinese bioweapon theory plays both to Trump’s geopolitical priorities (hence the MAGA scene’s use of the term “the chinese virus”) and to the anti-Asian racism that has surged since the crisis began.
Trump fans, Putin fans and antisemitic conspiracy wingnuts are heavily overlapping categories, so it’s not always easy to guess which bioweapon story any particular crank will go for.
Amusingly, conspiracists who normally work together have fallen out over this question.
Amusingly, conspiracists who normally work together have fallen out over this question.
A third - and very popular - Covid myth is the one that blames 5G, despite any look at the evidence showing it’s nonsense. This has been pushed by the far right QAnon group, antisemitic icon David Icke, and the anti-vaccine scene…
…One apparent doctor shared by many 5G wingnuts turned out to by an “alternative practitioner” talking at an anti-vaxx convention alongside the discredited Andrew Wakefield cbc.ca/news/technolog…
…The 5G storyline is also pushed by Russian state media nytimes.com/2019/05/12/sci…
…David Icke takes the 5G story particularly far. He says a future coronavirus vaccine would include ‘nanotechnology microchips’ which would allow humans to be controlled. Icke is a massive antisemite too. marlonsolomon.wordpress.com/2017/11/10/is-… @supergutman
…Antisemitism is a kind of meta-conspiracy theory, so Icke is of course popular with all sorts of conspiracy theorists: even most of those who are not explicitly antisemitic stray into it
The fourth, slightly less preposterous and therefore more dangerous, conspiracy theory is the Corona hoax theory, Covid denialism: The idea that it’s not real who is vastly exaggerated in order to create new state controls…
… some 911 truthers have been calling the virus “the new 911”, i.e. that it is a hoax perpetrated by shadowy powers or the deep state in order to take away our liberties or distract us from something else…
Covid denialism, which Trump has flirted with, is promoted by many of on the hard right, such as Candace Owens, who talks of the “Coronavirus doomsday cult”, and the Mail’s Peter Hitchens
…Covid denialism is also promoted by the antisemitic American Herald Tribune
…Covid denialism is often bolstered by apparent experts who turn out to be quite dubious, like the dodgy oncologist name checked by @BBCNormanS
Thomas Binder, a Swiss doctor who’s been circulating “CoronaHoax” stories, has apparently been detained in psychiatric care this week after threatening family members & officials. He has form for mis-using medical credentials to spread fake news arcdigital.media/how-one-doctor… @RVAWonk
…Binder is part of the same group of Syria chemical weapons deniers who have switched over to Corona denialism
Sadly, though, this fourth CV19 conspiracy theory - that it’s some kind of hoax or moral panic initiated by the state for authoritarian ends - is also promoted by right-wing numpties in the mainstream: Toby Young, the Telegraph & Spectator
…Frequently these professional contrarians are put by the mainstream media in “debates” with medical experts, as if they have equally valid views, which is very dangerous.
So those are the main four dangerous theories.
Others, more minor, include the one that Bill Gates is behind it all, as promoted by Piers Corbyn, Piers Robinson and Vanessa Beeley.
Others, more minor, include the one that Bill Gates is behind it all, as promoted by Piers Corbyn, Piers Robinson and Vanessa Beeley.
The Bill Gates angle is also promoted by Russian state media wired.co.uk/article/5g-cor…
And the idea that Imperial College is teaming up with venture capital to exaggerate the virus in order to fund their vaccine research, as promoted by Cory Morningstar & (again) David Icke glykosymoritis.blogspot.com/2020/04/britis…
Why are the theories dangerous? First, as @dr_d_allington shows, those who swallow the conspiracy theories are less likely to behave responsibly during the pandemic, putting themselves and others at very real risk kcl.ac.uk/news/covid-19-…
Second, like antisemitism and support for Assad, COVID conspiracism acts to bind ideologically disparate elements. Self-proclaimed leftists share deeply reactionary right-wing voices in the name of “dissent”.
Third, conspiracy theories feed racism against groups blamed in them, often leading to violent attacks, and are cynically promoted by the far right for this reason.
For instance, in India Muslims are blamed by the Hindu nationalist right for spreading the virus, with violent results amp.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr…
And here in the UK, as @hopenothate have documented, fascist groups who normally mix anti-migrant and antisemitic messaging have started adding anti-Chinese hate to their mix.
Conspiracism also fuels other violent attacks. In the wake of the 5G b*ll*cks, 39 BT engineers have been attacked
metro.co.uk/2020/04/13/thi…
metro.co.uk/2020/04/13/thi…
So that’s mostly it. But as well as actual conspiracy theories, there are other bits of disinformation circulating about the Corona Virus, which I’ll return to in the next part of this thread!
…Before I finally get to part 3 of this thread, I’ll take a minute to update some of the stories above:
First, the Chinese-bioweapon theory, blending anti-Asian racism with Trumpian geopolitics, has gotten more mainstream traction: Trump has hired this guy to head up Health & Human Services cnn.com/2020/04/23/pol…
…As well as his anti-Chinese racist bile, Trump’s guy also espoused a version of Covid denialism: the claim that the left is exaggerating the virus (& therefore wants people to die) just to hurt Trump
…AND he tweets and retweets the Soros vaccine conspiracy theory (and other antisemitic stuff)
…Meanwhile, here in the UK, the disreputable Mail on Sunday has been pushing this story, and has claimed it is being taken seriously by Boris Johnson’s ministers vanityfair.com/news/2020/04/i…
The denialist narrative is the Covid conspiracy theory with the most traction, though, as demonstrated in the UK by the increasing number of Tory MPs picking it up from right-wing pundits to pressure the government end the lockdown.
(As an aside, Covid denialism seems to have brought all the worst people together...)
…The denialist conspiracy theory is particularly characterised by the use of fake experts. Here’s a new one, Dr Erickson, being promoted by the usual suspects who also gave us the Assad-didn’t-use-chemical-weapons story. acep.org/corona/COVID-1…
The most bizarre conspiracy theories are ones that somehow combine elements of all of them. Here Piers Corbyn breathlessly suggests that BOTH the Chinese & Americans made it, along with Gates and ((Soros)).
On the Bill Gates conspiracy theory, check out @rothschildmd themikerothschild.com/2020/04/27/wor…
Read this alarming thread on the recent @hnhcommunity report showing how prevalent conspiracy theories are in the UK population:
As Pat points out here, it’s especially galling to see people promoting dangerous disinfo during this crisis using that to raise money from their gullible Internet fans via @Patreon and other crowdfunding platforms
On the other hand, it’s kind of gratifying to see conspiracy theorists falling out, so Rania Khalek & George Galloway, who‘ve promoted the same lies about Syria & the Skripals, are now under attack from other wingnuts for not actually thinking the virus is fake.
That’s it for now. This thread will have one final section of this information around the virus, coming in the next few days. Apologies it’s so long and slow, but, you know, real life.
In the meantime, I only just saw this sharp piece by @aurelmondon & @aaronzwinter on the virus crisis and the right-wing fake anti-elitists who have moved into the mainstream in recent years
Adding this really interesting thread on virus conspiracy theories taking hold in India:
Some of the big tech platforms are slowly taking action against various fascist and fake news sites as a result of their Coronavirus disinfo
Interesting to see the usual conspiracy theorists rush to their defence (HT @Vorkoz)
Interesting to see the usual conspiracy theorists rush to their defence (HT @Vorkoz)
I realised I never finished this thread. Here’s the final part, moving on from conspiracism, to look at some other bits of disinformation circulating about the Corona Virus:
One was the Cuban wonder drug story I touched on earlier in this thread: the completely false claim that Cuba has invented a drug (Interferon) that magically cures the virus…
…Since my earlier tweet, this lie was bought by Newsweek’s @ShaolinTom, quoting the same Revolutionary Communist Group activist Helen Yaffe, who has as much medical expertise as me
…Newsweek’s @ShaolinTom irresponsibly failed to check with any medical experts before promoting this “wonder drug”, which some poor countries are buying up thinking it will answer their prayers.
cc @J_Bloodworth @PatrickHilsman
cc @J_Bloodworth @PatrickHilsman
(More on Interferon via @paulocanning )
The Cuban wonder drug story mirrors other magic drug stories, such as the hydroxychloroquine cure that Trump promoted. theguardian.com/world/2020/apr…
And of course the bleach narrative that Trump also promoted.
Another sort of disinfo we’ve seen a lot with the virus is when states (especially authoritarian ones) use social media influencers and assets to claim they don’t have a problem. For example…
You’ll be familiar with how Trump and Bolsonaro, who both exemplify the authoritarian playbook, have falsely claimed they’re beating the virus, egged on by their social media fans.
Similarly…
Similarly…
Similarly, Russian-employed antisemitic blogger Vanessa Beeley and Australian YouTuber “PartisanGirl” spent weeks tweeting about how Syria was virus-free because of its great leader Assad, which turned out to be a total lie.
(Both of these are well known to Syria chemical weapons denial watchers. If they’re unfamiliar to you, here they are.)
And fans of Maduro’s failed regime have made similarly Trumpian claims about Venezuela beating the virus.
Ok I think that’s it. Here are the five take-homes from this ridiculously long thread:
1. Authoritarian states don’t just reply on paid agents to bolster their dishonest narratives, they can also rely on a freelance army of fanatical supporters & useful idiots on social media.
1. Authoritarian states don’t just reply on paid agents to bolster their dishonest narratives, they can also rely on a freelance army of fanatical supporters & useful idiots on social media.
(Although if they establish a following, these outriders and influencers can also make an income through @Patreon and other crowdfunding platforms. Grifters will grift, and their dangerous disinfo pays.)
2. Fake experts are a feature of conspiracism and information. Just because somebody has “Dr” before their name does not mean there an expert on one thing are commenting on. Expertise is vital to combat disinfo, but exercise caution when presented with apparent experts.
3. With the crisis in how news media works, churnalism, click-chasing and sloppy investigations mean mainstream media can easily be complicit in fake news and conspiracism.
Lastly 4. Internet conspiracism has real world effects. In some contexts, it’s authoritarian states getting away with crimes. In this context, it’s people dying in a pandemic. Conspiracy theorists seem like amusing wingnuts, but they can be deadly.
That’s it folks. If you have other interesting examples of COVID19 conspiracy theories and misinfo, let me know.
Sorry for the proliferation of typos here. My phone and fingers are getting old. Should be “Just because someone has ‘Dr’ before their name doesn’t mean they are an expert on the thing they’re commenting on.”
An example to add to the thread, from our friend George Galloway:
David Icke update:
A good example of how Covid denialism/conspiracism/minimisation binds ideologically disparate elements: here’s a supposedly leftist ex-Prof promoting hard right Islamophobe Douglas Murray and calling him “insightful” in an op ed for Russian state media
Another example that illustrates some points in the thread above.
Covid skepticism appeals to people who take other denialist positions, eg on Assad’s crimes (as with Mr Hitchens) or cholesterol causing heart problems (as with Dr Kendrick who he promotes)
Covid skepticism appeals to people who take other denialist positions, eg on Assad’s crimes (as with Mr Hitchens) or cholesterol causing heart problems (as with Dr Kendrick who he promotes)
(By the way, here’s the Covid denialist, published by RT & GlobalResearch, that Mr Hitchens promoted: rationalwiki.org/wiki/Malcolm_K… )
