[Global Times reporter Wang Panpan Wang Huicong] The conspiracy theory about the "new crown virus from the Wuhan Virus Research Institute" was promoted by some marginal media in January this year, and was immediately refuted by mainstream media and scientists, but in April this year, this conspiracy theory Resurrected again and gaining a foothold in the mainstream US media, American officials took turns to promote it to the world. How is this series of actions completed? The US independent news survey site "Grayzone" (Grayzone) on the 20th published the website's founder Max Blumenthal and reporter Ackit Singh's signed reports, revealing the US government and conservative reporters are mixed and confused , The process of "legalizing" conspiracy theories. "The conspiracy theory that the new crown virus came from the Wuhan Virus Institute has become the Trump administration's 'Iraq weapon of mass destruction.'" The report said.
Right-wing media "test water" conspiracy theory
"On January 24, a shocking, dazzling headline appeared on the page of the" Washington Times ". This right-wing newspaper was owned by the Korean Cult United Church." The "Grey Zone" reported that the "Washington Times" claimed the new crown The virus "may have originated from a laboratory related to China's biological warfare project", and the source is Danny Soham, a former lieutenant of the army's intelligence department. The person said that "coronaviruses (especially SARS) were studied at the institute and may be stored there", but he also admitted that "there is no evidence or instructions". In addition to Soham, the "Washington Times" article also cited a report by Radio Free Asia, which suggested that the Wuhan Virus Institute may be the source of the new crown epidemic. "What is not mentioned is that according to the New York Times, Radio Free Asia is the official news agency created by the United States during the Cold War and is part of the global propaganda network established by the CIA."
The "Washington Times" report was refuted. A few days later, the Washington Post published a long report, quoting multiple virologists to refute the claim that the new coronavirus was "designed" and "pouring cold water" to the theory that the "new coronavirus may be a biological weapon". In March, the scientific journal Nature and the medical journal The Lancet published articles and open letters from scientists from many countries, strongly condemning the conspiracy theory. On March 25, the Washington Times added a social commentary to its initial report, fundamentally denying its argument: "Scientists outside China concluded that there is no indication that it was made in a laboratory or It was deliberately manipulated, but experts debated whether it might have leaked from the laboratory. "
"The conspiracy theory seems to be in trouble. In order to resurrect this seemingly dead story two months later, the Trump administration turned to the media that first exposed it:" The Washington Post. "The" grey zone "report said.
Conspiracy theory "resurrected" in "Washington Post"
On April 14th, the Washington Post published an article by columnist Josh Rokin, a former embassy in Japan who has been instigating a regime change in an "evil axis" country for many years to sensationalize. The neoconservative "experts" who report on the industry. The author claims to have received a telegram from the U.S. Embassy in January 2018, and officials of the U.S. Embassy conducted an "unusual visit" to the Wuhan Virus Research Institute, warning "the laboratory ’s exposure to bat coronavirus and its potential for human transmission. Research represents a new pandemic risk similar to SARS "and raises doubts about" safety issues "in laboratories. Although the article said at the end "I don't know whether the new coronavirus originated from the Wuhan laboratory", the full text is full of hints. The "gray zone" commented that this looks like a classic US State Department "document dumping" operation.
"Grey Zone" reports that the P4 laboratory of the Wuhan Virus Research Institute adopted the highest international standards for biosafety precautions (also known as the BSL-4 laboratory). There are dozens of such institutions in the world, the United States alone There are 13 (2013 data). The laboratory is the product of cooperation between China and France. International exchanges are very common. Since 2015, scientists, health experts and government officials from more than a dozen countries have been interviewed. On April 18, the French Presidential Palace issued a statement strongly opposing reports that the new coronavirus originated from the laboratory.
Josh Rokin ’s article was severely criticized by American scientists. Columbia University virologist Dr. Angela Rasmussen tweeted that Luo Jin, as a political journalist, "gathered his teeth without discrimination", misinterpreted and quoted one-sidedly about the "telegram" without consultation. Any professional is very irresponsible. Dr. Stephen Goldstein, a virologist at the University of Utah Medical School, said that Luo Jin ’s article “has many substantial scientific gaps” and relies on “unfounded insinuations”. "Grey Zone" reports that Luo Jin quoted some ambiguous words in the "telegraph" inciting the fear of safety in the Wuhan laboratory, but in fact, these "telegraphs" emphasize more than the safe environment, the United States Officials pay more attention to the value of research conducted in the laboratory to predict and prevent potential coronavirus outbreaks.
"Grey Zone" reported that Luo Jin refused to discuss the issue of his article with scientists, but turned to an anti-China activist Xiao Qiang, funded by the National Democratic Foundation (NED), to strengthen his claim and said that For "scientists". "Actually, professional dissident Xiao Qiang has no expertise in any scientific field."
U.S. government launches smear campaign
"Even so, this false information operation, apparently directed by the White House, has been fully launched." The "gray zone" reported that on April 15, the right-wing media Fox News published an extremely similar article, claiming that "increasingly Many people believe that the outbreak of the new crown epidemic is likely to originate from the Wuhan laboratory. The article also did not provide any evidence, relying on the "encrypted and open source files" that the author admits that he has not seen. On the evening of the 15th, Republican Senator Tom Cotton made a long, well-arranged speech through Fox News, demanding that the Chinese government be responsible for all losses caused by the epidemic. At the same time, important figures in the liberal critics who opposed Trump have forwarded Luo Jin's articles. On April 17, US Secretary of State Pompeo "brought this conspiracy theory to the global stage" and asked China to allow experts to enter the Wuhan Virus Research Institute for investigation. On the same day, Trump said that "it seems" that the new coronavirus was made in a laboratory in Wuhan "it makes sense."
"Trump's use of this conspiracy theory is reminiscent of the neo-conservatives in the Bush administration and the New York Times reporter Judith Miller working together to spread false news that Iraq possesses weapons of mass destruction." The reputation of The New York Times gave its report "legitimacy", allowing the Bush Administration to cross party lines and sell the idea of invading Iraq to the political parties of the two parties. "Finally, it turns out that Miller was a liar and was sentenced to prison to protect his 'source of information', but all this happened when thousands of American soldiers were killed in Iraq and more Iraqis died from their birth After the chaos. "
The “Grey Zone” report concluded that with more than 40,000 new Americans with pneumococcal deaths, and six months before the presidential election, Trump ca n’t wait to shift his accusations of poor response to the epidemic, “The President and his allies We are escalating the anti-China PR blitz to a new level of absurdity ”,“ By spreading fake news about China ’s “bad behavior” through anonymous US officials and suspicious documents, the White House seems to want to escalate the external conflict to cover up its failure in the United States ” .