Now that numerous virology experts are on record as saying it cannot be dismissed, and multiple government and intelligence sources have confirmed that investigations are underway into the possibility that the coronavirus leaked from an unsafe Wuhan bio-lab and China lied about the true scale of the outbreak, here is a timely reminder of the scores of fake news outlets that for weeks and months dismissed both notions as ‘baseless conspiracy theories’.
Now that multiple sources are confirming coronavirus came out of the Wuhan lab, it's time to compile a list of mainstream media outlets who repeatedly for weeks said it was a 'dangerous fake news conspiracy theory' to even suggest this.
Wrong again.
— Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) April 16, 2020
Remember, these sources (this is only a small selection of what is out there), to a varying degree in their dismissals, effectively bolstered Chinese state media and government insistences that questions over the safety of the lab were ‘dangerous’.
- The Guardian STILL says it’s a conspiracy theory.
- Vox – The conspiracy theories about the origins of the coronavirus, debunked – Mar 12
- Reuters – China lab says conspiracy theories hurting efforts to curb virus – Feb 20
- The Telegraph – Coronavirus myths, scams and conspiracy theories that have gone viral (Point 8: Coronavirus was leaked from a high security lab in Wuhan and China is trying to cover it up) – Mar 29
- USA Today – Fact check: Did the coronavirus originate in a Chinese laboratory? – Mar 22
- The Scientist – Theory that Coronavirus Escaped from a Lab Lacks Evidence – Mar 5
- Politifact – Fact-checking hoaxes and conspiracies about the coronavirus – Jan 24
- FactCheck.org – Baseless Conspiracy Theories Claim New Coronavirus Was Bioengineered – Feb 7
- The Independent – Coronavirus: From a Chinese lab to eating garlic, the Covid-19 conspiracy theories Britons believe – Mar 30
- Vice – The Coronavirus Is an Exciting Opportunity for Conspiracy Theorists – Jan 28
- Buzzfeed – Struggling for attention, Italy’s former deputy prime minister and others are sharing false claims the virus was engineered in a Chinese lab – Mar 26
- Business Insider – Sen. Tom Cotton keeps airing a long-debunked theory that the deadly coronavirus is a Chinese biological weapon that was leaked from a government lab in Wuhan – Feb 17
- The Daily Wire – Report Promotes Debunked Theory That Coronavirus Comes From Chinese Lab – Feb 2
- Vanity Fair – Inside the Viral Spread of a Coronavirus Origin Theory – April 10
- Forbes – No, COVID-19 Coronavirus Was Not Bioengineered. Here’s The Research That Debunks That Idea – Mar 17
- The New York Times – Why Coronavirus Conspiracy Theories Flourish. And Why It Matters – April 8
- Wired – Coronavirus Conspiracy Theories Are a Public Health Hazard – Mar 27
- Snopes – The Origins and Scientific Failings of the COVID-19 ‘Bioweapon’ Conspiracy Theory – April 1
- BBC – China coronavirus: Misinformation spreads online about origin and scale – Jan 30
