{"id":542019,"date":"2021-05-26T18:20:28","date_gmt":"2021-05-26T22:20:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=542019"},"modified":"2021-05-26T18:20:42","modified_gmt":"2021-05-26T22:20:42","slug":"lunatic-conspiracy-theories-heres-how-liberal-fact-checkers-treated-people-who-supported-lab-leak-theory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lunatic-conspiracy-theories-heres-how-liberal-fact-checkers-treated-people-who-supported-lab-leak-theory\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Lunatic Conspiracy Theories\u2019: Here\u2019s How Liberal Fact Checkers Treated People Who Supported Lab Leak Theory"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Flunatic-conspiracy-theories-heres-how-liberal-fact-checkers-treated-people-who-supported-lab-leak-theory%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=542019&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><ul>\n<li><strong>Liberal media fact checkers were quick to label reporters and lawmakers who supported the lab leak theory as conspiracy theorists in the wake of the 2020 coronavirus outbreak.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>\u201cWe can\u2019t disregard these as lunatic conspiracy theories on the fringes,\u201d Fairness &amp; Accuracy In Reporting, a progressive media watchdog, stated in an April 2020 article about the lab leak theory. \u201cThese speculations, rumors and outright lies have a way of starting in partisan media.\u201d<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Republican Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton was labeled a conspiracy theorist by liberal outlets, which dismissed his arguments that coronavirus may have escaped from a lab in Wuhan, China.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Liberal media fact checkers were quick to label reporters and lawmakers who supported the lab leak theory as conspiracy theorists in the wake of the 2020 coronavirus outbreak.<\/p>\n<p>Fact checkers repeatedly labeled comments and reporting that referenced evidence of a lab leak theory \u2014 the hypothesis that coronavirus came from a Wuhan, China lab instead of a food market \u2014 as harmful misinformation. Recently, however, evidence that three Wuhan Institute of Virology researchers were hospitalized with an unknown illness in November 2019, <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/05\/23\/3-wuhan-lab-scientists-hospitalized-2019-us-intel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">has been revealed<\/a> suggesting the theory isn\u2019t baseless.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBeijing has claimed that the virus originated in a Wuhan \u2018wet market,\u2019 where wild animals were sold,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2020\/04\/01\/tom-cotton-coronavirus-lab-leak\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Republican Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton<\/a> wrote in an April 2020 Wall Street Journal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/coronavirus-and-the-laboratories-in-wuhan-11587486996\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">editorial<\/a>. \u201cBut evidence to counter this theory emerged in January.\u201d <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2020\/04\/02\/coronavirus-leaked-wuhan-institute-virology-richard-ebright-shi-zhengli\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Coronavirus Expert Says Virus Could Have Leaked From Wuhan Lab)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis evidence is circumstantial, to be sure, but it all points toward the Wuhan labs,\u201d he said. \u201cThanks to the Chinese coverup, we may never have direct, conclusive evidence\u2014intelligence rarely works that way\u2014but Americans justifiably can use common sense to follow the inherent logic of events to their likely conclusion.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In response, Cotton was labeled a conspiracy theorist by many liberal outlets, which dismissed his arguments. A Vanity Fair article <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vanityfair.com\/news\/2020\/04\/inside-the-the-viral-spread-of-a-coronavirus-origin-theory\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">accused<\/a> Cotton of adding a \u201cscary new layer to Donald Trump\u2019s blame-China strategy,\u201d the BBC <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-52224331\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reported<\/a> that his claims were \u201cunfounded\u201d and a Snopes fact check <a href=\"https:\/\/www.snopes.com\/news\/2020\/04\/01\/covid-19-bioweapon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">characterized<\/a> his allegations as \u201cspeculative.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7200791\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" readability=\"33\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7200791\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-7200791 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-1230938483-2-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"Security personnel stand guard outside the Wuhan Institute of Virology in February. (Hector Retamal\/AFP via Getty Images)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-1230938483-2-scaled-1.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/cdn01.dailycaller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-1230938483-2-180x120.jpg 180w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-1230938483-2-620x413-1.jpg 620w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-1230938483-2-768x511-1.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-1230938483-2-1536x1022-1.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-1230938483-2-2048x1363-1.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-7200791\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Security personnel stand guard outside the Wuhan Institute of Virology in February. (Hector Retamal\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cWe can\u2019t disregard these as lunatic conspiracy theories on the fringes,\u201d Fairness &amp; Accuracy In Reporting, a progressive media watchdog, <a href=\"https:\/\/fair.org\/home\/covid-19-speculation-goes-from-margin-to-center\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">stated<\/a> in an April 2020 article about the lab leak theory. \u201cThese speculations, rumors and outright lies have a way of starting in partisan media and bubbling up to a level where they affect our political discourse and public health.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Former President Donald Trump, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz were also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2020-05-05\/trump-pushes-virus-from-china-lab-theory-that-divides-u-s-spies\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">criticized<\/a> for bringing attention to the lab leak theory.<\/p>\n<p>Washington Post fact check editor Glenn Kessler <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GlennKesslerWP\/status\/1256267931220049920\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">criticized<\/a> Cruz in May 2020 after the senator <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/tedcruz\/status\/1256252575176970240\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">suggested<\/a> the virus might\u2019ve leaked from the Wuhan lab. Kessler said it was \u201cvirtually impossible\u201d the virus jumped from the lab.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe deal in facts, and viewers can judge for themselves,\u201d Kessler added. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2020\/04\/15\/intelligence-wuhan-coronavirus-lab-leak\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(RELATED: REPORT: Intelligence Officials Are Taking A Serious Look At The Possibility Coronavirus Leaked From Wuhan Lab)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The New York Times said the chances Trump and Pompeo were correct in their assertions that coronavirus may stem from the Wuhan lab were \u201cslim\u201d in a May 2020 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/05\/03\/us\/politics\/coronavirus-pompeo-wuhan-china-lab.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">article<\/a>. Axios <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/wuhan-lab-theory-trump-pompeo-coronavirus-2ed777f5-0fca-4653-9728-ed62dc48aaf2.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reported<\/a> that, based on comments made by Anthony Fauci and the U.S. intelligence community, it was safe to say the virus \u201cevolved naturally.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7200789\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" readability=\"33\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7200789\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-7200789 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-1230938005-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"Members of the World Health Organization arrive at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in on Feb. 3. (Hector Retamal\/AFP via Getty Images)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-1230938005-scaled-1.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/cdn01.dailycaller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-1230938005-180x120.jpg 180w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-1230938005-620x413-1.jpg 620w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-1230938005-768x511-1.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-1230938005-1536x1022-1.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-1230938005-2048x1363-1.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-7200789\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Members of the World Health Organization arrive at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in on Feb. 3. (Hector Retamal\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>NPR even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2020\/05\/06\/851043242\/as-trump-pushes-theory-of-virus-origins-some-see-parallels-to-iraq\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">interviewed<\/a> experts who worried that the Trump administration\u2019s apparent support for the lab leak theory paralleled the government\u2019s messaging that ultimately led to the invasion of Iraq. The NYT also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/05\/03\/us\/politics\/coronavirus-pompeo-wuhan-china-lab.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">made a comparison<\/a> between Trump\u2019s support for the lab leak theory and former President George W. Bush\u2019s administration insisting Saddam Hussein was developing weapons of mass destruction in the early 2000s.<\/p>\n<p>Altogether, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/05\/03\/us\/politics\/coronavirus-pompeo-wuhan-china-lab.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The NYT<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-health-coronavirus-china-lab\/china-lab-rejects-covid-19-conspiracy-claims-but-virus-origins-still-a-mystery-idUSKCN22A0MM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Reuters<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2020\/04\/30\/politics\/trump-intelligence-community-china-coronavirus-origins\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CNN<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/2020\/05\/01\/was-new-coronavirus-accidentally-released-wuhan-lab-its-doubtful\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Washington Post<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/national-security\/did-coronavirus-really-escape-chinese-lab-here-s-what-we-n1199531\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NBC News<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/goatsandsoda\/2020\/04\/23\/841729646\/virus-researchers-cast-doubt-on-theory-of-coronavirus-lab-accident\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NPR<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politifact.com\/article\/2020\/jan\/24\/fact-checking-hoaxes-and-conspiracies-about-corona\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">PolitiFact<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.snopes.com\/news\/2020\/04\/01\/covid-19-bioweapon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Snopes<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2020\/apr\/15\/trump-us-coronavirus-theory-china\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Guardian<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/2020\/3\/4\/21156607\/how-did-the-coronavirus-get-started-china-wuhan-lab\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Vox<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vanityfair.com\/news\/2020\/04\/inside-the-the-viral-spread-of-a-coronavirus-origin-theory\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Vanity Fair<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.seattletimes.com\/nation-world\/fact-check-was-the-new-coronavirus-accidentally-released-from-a-wuhan-lab-its-doubtful\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">other outlets<\/a> all published articles casting doubt on the lab leak theory. Some have recently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/2020\/3\/4\/21156607\/how-did-the-coronavirus-get-started-china-wuhan-lab#veNrKw:~:text=Editor%E2%80%99s%20note%2C%20May%2025%2C%202021\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">posted<\/a> editor\u2019s notes, backtracking on their original reporting. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2020\/03\/31\/chinese-government-underreporting-coronavirus\/\">(RELATED: Chinese Government Finally Acknowledges Underreporting Coronavirus Cases)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>While liberal news outlets and fact checkers repeatedly downplayed both the lab leak theory and those who supported it, outlets like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtontimes.com\/news\/2020\/jan\/26\/coronavirus-link-to-china-biowarfare-program-possi\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Washington Times<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2020\/04\/15\/intelligence-wuhan-coronavirus-lab-leak\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Daily Caller News Foundation<\/a>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtontimes.com\/news\/2020\/apr\/28\/wuhan-laboratory-most-likely-coronavirus-source-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">investigated<\/a> the <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2020\/04\/02\/coronavirus-leaked-wuhan-institute-virology-richard-ebright-shi-zhengli\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">theory<\/a> rather than dismissing it. But Facebook suppressed such reporting by labeling it with a \u201cFalse Information\u201d tag, according to various outlets.<\/p>\n<p>In February 2020, Facebook suppressed a New York Post <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2020\/02\/22\/dont-buy-chinas-story-the-coronavirus-may-have-leaked-from-a-lab\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">editorial<\/a> that called the lab leak hypothesis \u201ca possibility,\u201d the Post <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2021\/01\/05\/facebooks-covid-coverup\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reported<\/a>. The social media platform\u2019s fact checkers also labeled a Washington Times article, which has since been confirmed by other outlets, reporter Bill Gertz recently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtontimes.com\/news\/2021\/feb\/23\/facebooks-false-fact-check-protected-a-viable-sour\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">said<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, President Joe Biden asked U.S. intelligence agencies to \u201credouble their efforts\u201d in the investigation into the origins of coronavirus, he said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/statements-releases\/2021\/05\/26\/statement-by-president-joe-biden-on-the-investigation-into-the-origins-of-covid-19\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">statement<\/a> Wednesday. He ordered them to give him a detailed report listing their findings within 90 days.<\/p>\n<p>Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact <a href=\"mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Liberal media fact checkers were quick to label reporters and lawmakers who supported the lab leak theory as conspiracy theorists in the wake of the 2020 coronavirus outbreak. \u201cWe can\u2019t &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2313181,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-1230938483-2-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"\u2018Lunatic Conspiracy Theories\u2019: Here\u2019s How Liberal Fact Checkers Treated People Who Supported Lab Leak Theory","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-542019","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/GettyImages-1230938483-2-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"\u2018Lunatic Conspiracy Theories\u2019: Here\u2019s How Liberal Fact Checkers Treated People Who Supported Lab Leak Theory","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/542019","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=542019"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/542019\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2313181"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=542019"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=542019"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=542019"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}