The Infodemic: Another Nobel laureate in a disinformation scandal. Plus Facebook shuts down accounts but is it enough?
Welcome back! We're tracking the global spread of coronavirus disinformation, and what is being done to combat it. Let's dive in:
A NOBEL FAKE
Japan’s Nobel Laureate Tasuku Honjo says he had nothing to do with a claim that coronavirus is man-made.
- Last week, a fake letter from one of Japan’s leading scientists circulating on social media said the coronavirus was manufactured by China and didn’t come from bats. Several versions of the letter surfaced on WhatsApp, Twitter and Facebook.
- The post, which uses aggressive language against China, also claims that all the technicians who worked in the Wuhan lab have died.
- Kyoto University has now issued a statement stating Honjo had no connection with the post.
“In the wake of the pain, economic loss, and unprecedented global suffering caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, I am greatly saddened that my name and that of Kyoto University have been used to spread false accusations and misinformation,” he said.
- Among those who shared the original fake was Alan Sugar, Chairman of Amshold Group who has 5.3 million followers. “I just passed it on, I didn’t write it,” he tweeted after being attacked for spreading fake news.
Background: Nobel laureates’ authority and prestige make them an ideal vehicle for coronavirus misinformation, whether by hijacking their name or by their own spreading. We saw this in the earlier case of French virologist and Nobel laureate Luc Montagnier, who has gained notoriety for endorsing the theory that the virus is engineered, based on shoddy science.