The Infodemic: Confessions of a Fake News Merchant in Iran; Conspiracy Clusters in the age of coronavirus; assassination plot in the Czech Republic
Welcome back! We're tracking the global spread of coronavirus disinformation, and what is being done to combat it.
Last week the president of the United States came under fire for promoting dangerous coronavirus cures. Today, we start in Iran, where Ayatollahs have punished a fake cures merchant for his coronavirus treatment plan.
Confessions of a Fake Cures Merchant
In Iran, enemies of the Islamic revolution are regularly rolled out on television to confess their crimes. It’s a familiar site: a handcuffed “offender” of the Islamic Republic talks about his regrets and pledges to never repeat his mistakes again.
But Iran’s most recent forced confession broadcast to millions on state television didn’t come from an opposition activist or an alleged U.S. spy but from a man who told Iranians to drink camel urine.