Thread by @Ayjchan

The #OriginsOfCovid controversy has muddled the definitions of two terms:

Conflicts of interest

Conspiracy theory

Insights from @DisInfoChron @thackerpd and @ianbirrell here:
disinformationchronicle.substack.com/p/ian-birrell-…

@DisInfoChron @thackerpd @ianbirrell It is somehow ok for an expert to first fail to declare their conflicts of interest, consider taking their name off a letter they wrote, and then one year later say they have reasonably perceived competing interests but are acting in a "private capacity".

https://twitter.com/Ayjchan/status/1407150789223759874

Many journalists reporting on these letters and scientific articles fail to point out the severity of the conflict of interest.

@thackerpd: "these same reporters have no problem screaming on Twitter if a politician has financial conflicts or campaign funding from corporations."

@thackerpd On the term "conspiracy theory" @thackerpd points out that it has become a way for people to dismiss hypotheses that they don't like, without having to provide any evidence.

"The term has been drained of all meaning. It's just a label you slap on things you don't like."

Some scientists who doggedly called lab origins a conspiracy theory in 2020 are now trying to say "But a cover-up is a conspiracy..."

I believe you're well educated enough to understand the difference between calling something a cover-up vs calling it a conspiracy theory.