The origin of COVID has been the subject of wild conspiracies, rampant speculation, thoughtful conversations and everything in between. That all went up a notch last Sunday when the Wall Street Journal reported that a US intelligence report claimed three researchers at the Wuhan lab got so sick in November 2019 that they sought hospital care. 

Later in the week, Facebook told POLITICO that it would no longer take down content claiming COVID was man-made. 

This raises all sorts of questions about the nature of knowledge and belief, and about fact checking. 

To deep dive into this, I recommend reading Zeynep Tufekci’s reflection on the role of fact checking and her follow up on the role of the media more generally. 

The Washington Post has a useful timeline of the evolving story. You might find this explainer from The New York Times helpful.

The fact is we simply don’t have conclusive proof for any of the origins theories and we still need to gather evidence. While the natural zoonotic theory is probably still the frontrunner, China’s lack of transparency hasn’t helped and lends credence to the possibility of the accidental lab leak theory. I think most people would agree that the likelihood of China, or anyone else, deliberately creating the virus as a bioweapon is in the realm of the preposterous. 

I’m interested to know if you have thoughts about the role of fact checking in all this? Do write back and let me know.

For Your Headphones This Weekend: Podcast Slot

In the second episode of the four part series I’m co-hosting on misinformation, we talk about people who have become lost to conspiracies like QAnon. I hope the episode gives people more context, and shows them what to do if a loved one is falling down the rabbit hole. On Spotify, Apple and RTE. 

I also recommend Kara Swisher’s interview with Eliot Higgins of Bellingcat.

Editor’s Pick: Book Slot

Social media is inherently polarising us. Or is it? If so, how?

These are the themes of Breaking the Social Media Prism by Chris Bail. In it, he writes that social media doesn't reflect society but refracts it, emphasising some aspects and de-emphasising others. Extremists build tribes while moderates lurk quietly. At the same time, he argues that there is little evidence to support the filter bubble or echo chamber thesis. 

So what is the way forward? He says that we need to learn to see the prism and see how it distorts our view of the world. He also shares hopeful experiments he's conducted which allow us to reimagine the design of platforms. 

Recommended Articles: From the Kinzen Slack channels this week

DFR Lab. Bogus fact-checking site amplified by dozens of Indian embassies on social media

Yet another complication in the fact checking debate this week. The DFR Lab found that a PR firm created a “fact checking” site to deliberately mislead and manipulate public opinion in favour of India’s Modi government. Always check your source.

Buzzfeed. Online Hate Becomes Real-World Violence In Israel–Palestine

This profiles the work of FakeReporter, an Israeli disinformation watchdog, which can’t keep up with the amount of online threats and coordination of hate even after the ceasefire. 

First Draft. How an anti-Muslim influence operation spread on Indian social media

A related story about the coordination of hate in India against Muslims. We’ve been studying this ourselves, looking at how some people in India are spreading disinformation claiming that Muslims are superspreaders of COVID, and therefore they are to blame for the recent rise in cases.

The New York Times. QAnon Now as Popular in U.S. as Some Major Religions, Poll Suggests

I always worry about extrapolating beliefs from polls but if even a small percentage of Americans believe in QAnon, then it has millions of adherents. Some worrying trends in this poll. Although it’s also worth noting this week that new research shows QAnon messages have dramatically reduced on mainstream social platforms.