Thread by @Ayjchan

Getting angry tweets from Trump supporters since yesterday about a quote in @NBCNews @denisechow

Best to clarify before it escalates:

I publicly raised the lab leak hypothesis in Mar 2020 and have been pushing for an investigation for more than a year.

nbcnews.com/science/scienc…

To the folks tweeting at me about how despicable or cowardly it is for scientists to have sat on their doubts that the virus might’ve come from a lab:

1. You’re writing to the wrong person.

2. It’s normal to be afraid to wade into a politically toxic situation.

Which, sadly, I’ve found myself doing repeatedly throughout the last year trying to get people to take the lab leak hypothesis seriously…

I get that people are extremely mad that some experts didn't raise lab leak earlier. Whatever the reasons were: politics, workplace/peer pressure.

I've also had very low moments over the past year.

The 1st time I brought up lab leak, friends implied I was a conspiracy theorist.

I've spent 1+ year pushing back against the immediate reaction of lab leak=conspiracy - working on sci comm to explain that a lab leak is not only possible but plausible.

I've endured endless jibes about me seeking attention, being unqualified, spreading misinformation.

Here, please enjoy!

But, you know what, I didn't think it was possible, but those efforts paid off.

Eventually more and more scientists thought it's ok to publicly say I think Covid-19 could've been a lab leak. I'm going to get **** on by everyone in my life, but I can say it.

I entered a very dark place - ironic because I was talking to @undarkmag - I'd been targeted by Chinese state media and it honestly felt like no one was going to do anything to get a credible investigation into #OriginsOfCovid going.

https://twitter.com/Ayjchan/status/1372346517370109954

@undarkmag But we are closer to a real investigation of the #OriginsOfCovid than we've ever been.

And I'm just hearing that Don Jr is instagramming about me being a coward scientist.

Hi @realDailyWire @RealSaavedra
Could you try to google me or even visit my twitter profile before writing your article?

I guess the pendulum has finally swung all the way to the other side.

1st some said I was a conspiracy theorist for suggesting lab leak (still ongoing btw).

Then lab leakers said I wasn't pushing hard enough.

Now Trump supporters are saying I didn't do anything & am a coward.

To the strange people comparing me to @DrLiMengYAN1

Have you ever considered that there could be space in a given topic for two women *gasp* who are both asian *omg* who might even be sympathetic to each other's situations *mind explodes*

https://twitter.com/Ayjchan/status/1306393772985638913

@DrLiMengYAN1 This is going to blow your mind. We are both immigrants.

@DrLiMengYAN1 And whistleblowers.

I guess I’ll wake up tomorrow and the previous president might’ve tweeted his own take on this unhinged game-of-telephone story…

Gotta say these folks are definitely showing scientists that we shouldn’t talk to the media.

“Chan said there had been trepidation among some scientists about publicly discussing the lab leak hypothesis for fear that their words could be misconstrued…”

Hi @thehill
I know that “Fear is the path to the dark side...”

Scientists afraid of their words being misconstrued and politicized are at least 2 steps away from hate.

Can you please fix your headline so it’s actually journalism?

Thank you @DailyCaller @Dylan_Housman and @realDailyWire @RealSaavedra for correcting the story. I'm still receiving a flood of angry emails and even phone calls to my workplace. Likely because other news copied you without correcting, e.g., @thehill @adamlbarnes @zerohedge

The headlines keep getting worse. Some even describe me as denying lab leak - which as you know could not be further from the truth.

Can I ask you to write a new story with a headline that clarifies that some scientists spoke up about the lab leak early at great personal risk?

The negativity & anger directed at me on twitter is not awesome. And I am starting to worry about personal safety.

But the thing that frustrates me the most is that my institute, which has given me the academic freedom to work on this controversial topic, is now being targeted.

Please get this. A scientific institute that allows its scientists to work on controversial and challenging topics is now being accused and harassed by people who think it was squashing discourse.

Everyone, please help me to tag relevant journalists & public figures.

I hope the story will be set straight. That scientists who have been fighting for an investigation of lab leak aren't attacked by mistake due to accidental misreporting.

@DonaldJTrumpJr @douglasernst

Thanks @Drinkwater5Reed
Hi @carolinedowney_ @jimgeraghty @NRO
Can you please correct your recent piece? I did not wait for anyone or anything - I was already raising the possibility of a lab leak as publicly as I could in early 2020.
Thank you - for personal safety reasons!