Thread by @thackerpd

My interview w/ author Elaine Dewar on her latest book "On the Origin of the Deadliest Pandemic in 100 Years” about her journey investigating #OriginsOfCovid disinformationchronicle.substack.com/p/a-candid-con… /1

Elaine Dewar on scientific publishers, "Some—Nature, The Lancet, eMI—turned themselves into platforms for the science equivalent of propaganda." All to stay on the good side of China. #originsofcovid disinformationchronicle.substack.com/p/a-candid-con… /2

In her book, Dewar notes: in January 2020, Shi Zhengli of the Wuhan Institute of Virology submitted a study to @Nature and another study to a different journal that contradicted the Nature paper. Neither have been corrected. (Who peer reviews Nature studies?) #originsofcovid /3

After examining Shi Zhengli, Elaine Dewar asks if she lies: "I had no idea, but I no longer had reason to trust her.” disinformationchronicle.substack.com/p/a-candid-con…
QUESTION: Why do science writers trust Shi Zhengli? #originsofcovid /4

Last year, @janeqiuchina wrote a puff piece on Shi Zhengli for @sciam_cn
Elaine Dewar: "Her article on Shi was true to National Geographic’s preferred story form. It was organized around dramatic moments and utterly free of investigative techniques" /5

Canada faced an incredible scandal during #originsofcovid when a Chinese couple working at the NML were caught coordinating dangerous pathogen research with a Chinese major general. That couple has vanished. disinformationchronicle.substack.com/p/a-candid-con… /6

Elaine Dewar spot on about DRASTIC: It did not speak well for the independence and objectivity of establishment science publications like Nature, The Lancet, and even Science that most of this important new information had not been published by them. disinformationchronicle.substack.com/p/a-candid-con… /7

Elaine Dewar is mostly dismissive of science writers because they explain science but don't investigate. However, she praises @rowanjacobsen and Newsweek, @alisonannyoung and Nicholas Wade in @BulletinAtomic FYI: @meckdevil
disinformationchronicle.substack.com/p/a-candid-con… /8

One thing Dewar uncovers is that China pays researchers huge sums to publish in Nature. She says this financial incentive has likely has led to many errors and problems in publishing today. @MicrobiomDigest

ELAINE DEWAR: @DisInfoChron INTERVIEW disinformationchronicle.substack.com/p/a-candid-con… /END