Over and over again early last year, as the COVID pandemic was ramping up but hadn’t yet reached the US in earnest, journalists working at prominent national publications claimed to have conclusive knowledge about the origins of the virus. It was trafficking in a “conspiracy theory” that had been roundly “debunked” — they collectively declared — to suggest that the virus may have originated in a laboratory that specializes in experimenting on human infectious diseases in Wuhan, China.
I understand you wanting to give colleagues the benefit of the doubt, but coverage of covid has clearly been partisan and has done significant damage to already low press credibility.
Where did it come from? Is it naturally occurring? Are the rumors that the US government may have given money to the Wuhan lab to “study” Coronavirus study true? How contagious is it? Is it equally contagious for young, middle aged, and old? Enough to keep schools closed down? Businesses closed down? Nursing homes locked down? What is the real chance of hospitalization or death for young, middle aged, and old? What is the real count of people who have died with covid vs. people who have died because of covid? Is social distancing really effective? What medications seem to work? Where is virus development?
A free and effective press would force the government to provide the people correct, up-to-date information on these and dozens of other questions. But we’ve been told to stay home, shut up and quit asking questions, stop spreading conspiracy theories, and to “wear the damn mask.” Because, as everyone knows, saying “damn” means it can’t be questioned.
Unfortunately, we don’t have a free and effective press anymore. So we are ignorant and divided. Just the way the politicians and (apparently) the press want us.
To be fair, those "journalists" do ABSOLUTELY NO INVESTIGATION beyond quoting (usually anonymous) sources, so they have absolutely no credibility and no one takes them seriously.
They would rather espouse propaganda than dare to challenge the narrative that they've be given to read into a camera or write down like the talentless stenographers that they are.
Keep knocking them around. No one deserves it more than those liars.
I love that you give them hell, Michael. These reporters think they can run, but they can't hide. Independent media is meticulously documenting their sloppy, agenda-driven, and *unaccountable* reporting. This Substack will be a good reference library for them if they ever start examining, in earnest, why their professional relevance evaporated.
As Mr. Wade discussed in his article, the virology community circled the wagons. At the helm was Peter Daszak who has his ass to cover. Fauci is implicated too. I expect journalists to be lazy and disingenuous - they were mouthpieces for the virology science experts who continue to this day to allege the lab leak is a conspiracy theory and outright call Mr. Wade's article absurd. https://twitter.com/K_G_Andersen/status/1389992245508464641
It is very sad to see a scientific community lie bald-faced to the world, or at the very best squelch important questions because it will implicate them. It is more than just a need to know the truth, knowing how this virus ended up in the world is crucial to how we handle it going forward and preventing another pandemic in the future.
In case anyone on the left cares, this is just the kind of politicisation of everything about Covid that causes many on the right to distrust virtually the entirety of the media and government response. Not mentioned in the article, but if I recall correctly the social media companies either banned, or included a warning, to any comment questioning whether the virus originated in the lab. When media circle the wagons around their preferred narrative, arrogantly assuming they cant be wrong, fact and truth are the victims.
During a pandemic we should be able to trust media and government to act in the public interest. Their failure to do so leaves us in a dangerous place where at least have the country just does trust or believe them.
Hands down the best summary of this theory (which seems quite plausible to me) thus far. I love the transparency and detailed context that Michael Tracey provides. While the MSM shills are magically 'independently verifying' anonymous sources that clearly never existed in the first place and high-fiving each other, Michael digs deep and shows how they contradict themselves, and also gives a detailed history of correspondence (one-sided in most cases, sadly) with his sources. Ever wonder why said MSM publications never share this level of detail? I imagine it's because doing so would reveal them as liars and frauds whose true intent is to manipulate rather than inform. Well done!
You got me. Wasn’t that familiar with you. Already pay Greenwald and Taibbi to document the dishonesty of media, didn’t see the need for third voice to tell me what I already know. But this is excellent.
This was great, Michael. I finally subscribed. Keep up the good work.
I know Twitter isn't a "journalist" but one of the most disturbing moves with this "Debunked Conspiracy" was their booting a Chinese Scientist for wrong-speak:
While the journalists have acted unethically, I have come to expect that and am not surprised.
More importantly, Wade's article shows the same methods being deployed across the scientific community. The Lancet is a top medical journal and should have checked into the statement of the virologist. Other virologist s went along with it, apparently risking funding if not parroting their donor's lines. Science journalists allowed their ridiculously early conclusions slide.
The scientists turning out to be as bad as journalists needs to be addressed.
The best case scenario for these journalists is that they are nothing more than useful idiots. Rising tensions with China would seem to be the most likely scenario for suppressing the lab leak hypothesis. But that suppression seems like something that foreign policy and intelligence agencies would support. When you consider recent history, that isn't too much of a stretch. In effect, it is propaganda.
And yet there is never any introspection by any of these same “journalists” wondering why there are folks hesitant to get the “emergency use” vaccine? Maybe screaming “you have to get it” followed by “why? because we said so” is not the best way to reach folks who have been lied to previously. Just a thought.
I agree that the lab-leak theory bodes poorly for US-China relations, but Wade's article says that a big part of the blame, along with Chinese authorities and virologists, goes to "The US role in funding the Wuhan Institute of Virology." This important detail deserves to be highlighted!
Everything the Corporate Media says is wrong, including the severity of the coronavirus and how it should have been handled. But they convinced Murikanz to walk around with a mask, "socially distance", and give away all their civil liberties. Now the top of the pyramid knows the formula. All the Greenwalds, Taibbis, and Traceys in the world won't be able to stop them.
Very early on, Dr. Judy Mikovits laid out all the inside information and science regarding the Wuhan Lab leak. Of course the media complex had to discredit her with personal smears because they couldn't challenge her on scientific grounds.
I understand you wanting to give colleagues the benefit of the doubt, but coverage of covid has clearly been partisan and has done significant damage to already low press credibility.
Where did it come from? Is it naturally occurring? Are the rumors that the US government may have given money to the Wuhan lab to “study” Coronavirus study true? How contagious is it? Is it equally contagious for young, middle aged, and old? Enough to keep schools closed down? Businesses closed down? Nursing homes locked down? What is the real chance of hospitalization or death for young, middle aged, and old? What is the real count of people who have died with covid vs. people who have died because of covid? Is social distancing really effective? What medications seem to work? Where is virus development?
A free and effective press would force the government to provide the people correct, up-to-date information on these and dozens of other questions. But we’ve been told to stay home, shut up and quit asking questions, stop spreading conspiracy theories, and to “wear the damn mask.” Because, as everyone knows, saying “damn” means it can’t be questioned.
Unfortunately, we don’t have a free and effective press anymore. So we are ignorant and divided. Just the way the politicians and (apparently) the press want us.
To be fair, those "journalists" do ABSOLUTELY NO INVESTIGATION beyond quoting (usually anonymous) sources, so they have absolutely no credibility and no one takes them seriously.
They would rather espouse propaganda than dare to challenge the narrative that they've be given to read into a camera or write down like the talentless stenographers that they are.
Keep knocking them around. No one deserves it more than those liars.
I love that you give them hell, Michael. These reporters think they can run, but they can't hide. Independent media is meticulously documenting their sloppy, agenda-driven, and *unaccountable* reporting. This Substack will be a good reference library for them if they ever start examining, in earnest, why their professional relevance evaporated.
As Mr. Wade discussed in his article, the virology community circled the wagons. At the helm was Peter Daszak who has his ass to cover. Fauci is implicated too. I expect journalists to be lazy and disingenuous - they were mouthpieces for the virology science experts who continue to this day to allege the lab leak is a conspiracy theory and outright call Mr. Wade's article absurd. https://twitter.com/K_G_Andersen/status/1389992245508464641
It is very sad to see a scientific community lie bald-faced to the world, or at the very best squelch important questions because it will implicate them. It is more than just a need to know the truth, knowing how this virus ended up in the world is crucial to how we handle it going forward and preventing another pandemic in the future.
"Debunked" is looking more and more like a synonym for "we don't like it."
In case anyone on the left cares, this is just the kind of politicisation of everything about Covid that causes many on the right to distrust virtually the entirety of the media and government response. Not mentioned in the article, but if I recall correctly the social media companies either banned, or included a warning, to any comment questioning whether the virus originated in the lab. When media circle the wagons around their preferred narrative, arrogantly assuming they cant be wrong, fact and truth are the victims.
During a pandemic we should be able to trust media and government to act in the public interest. Their failure to do so leaves us in a dangerous place where at least have the country just does trust or believe them.
Hands down the best summary of this theory (which seems quite plausible to me) thus far. I love the transparency and detailed context that Michael Tracey provides. While the MSM shills are magically 'independently verifying' anonymous sources that clearly never existed in the first place and high-fiving each other, Michael digs deep and shows how they contradict themselves, and also gives a detailed history of correspondence (one-sided in most cases, sadly) with his sources. Ever wonder why said MSM publications never share this level of detail? I imagine it's because doing so would reveal them as liars and frauds whose true intent is to manipulate rather than inform. Well done!
You got me. Wasn’t that familiar with you. Already pay Greenwald and Taibbi to document the dishonesty of media, didn’t see the need for third voice to tell me what I already know. But this is excellent.
I assumed the explanation for the "conspiracy theory" nonsense was simple: "Orange Man bad!"
Any more questions?
BTW, I found the Nicolas Wade article on Medium. It really is worth the read.
This was great, Michael. I finally subscribed. Keep up the good work.
I know Twitter isn't a "journalist" but one of the most disturbing moves with this "Debunked Conspiracy" was their booting a Chinese Scientist for wrong-speak:
https://nypost.com/2020/09/16/twitter-suspends-virologist-who-claims-covid-19-was-made-in-lab/
The only question remaining: Do I hate these journalists more for arrogantly misleading people, or for making Tom Cotton look like a beacon of truth?
I can't make up my mind.
While the journalists have acted unethically, I have come to expect that and am not surprised.
More importantly, Wade's article shows the same methods being deployed across the scientific community. The Lancet is a top medical journal and should have checked into the statement of the virologist. Other virologist s went along with it, apparently risking funding if not parroting their donor's lines. Science journalists allowed their ridiculously early conclusions slide.
The scientists turning out to be as bad as journalists needs to be addressed.
The best case scenario for these journalists is that they are nothing more than useful idiots. Rising tensions with China would seem to be the most likely scenario for suppressing the lab leak hypothesis. But that suppression seems like something that foreign policy and intelligence agencies would support. When you consider recent history, that isn't too much of a stretch. In effect, it is propaganda.
And yet there is never any introspection by any of these same “journalists” wondering why there are folks hesitant to get the “emergency use” vaccine? Maybe screaming “you have to get it” followed by “why? because we said so” is not the best way to reach folks who have been lied to previously. Just a thought.
I agree that the lab-leak theory bodes poorly for US-China relations, but Wade's article says that a big part of the blame, along with Chinese authorities and virologists, goes to "The US role in funding the Wuhan Institute of Virology." This important detail deserves to be highlighted!
Everything the Corporate Media says is wrong, including the severity of the coronavirus and how it should have been handled. But they convinced Murikanz to walk around with a mask, "socially distance", and give away all their civil liberties. Now the top of the pyramid knows the formula. All the Greenwalds, Taibbis, and Traceys in the world won't be able to stop them.
Very early on, Dr. Judy Mikovits laid out all the inside information and science regarding the Wuhan Lab leak. Of course the media complex had to discredit her with personal smears because they couldn't challenge her on scientific grounds.