@SenTomCotton took much of the initial heat for suggesting this as a possibility back in January.
Here’s what the @nytimes had to say about his “fringe theory” that “lacks evidence” and which “scientists have dismissed.”
Apparently those concerns have been un-dismissed since. pic.twitter.com/u61hJGI7Mj
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) May 18, 2021
But it wasn’t just NYT. @CNN was at the forefront, writing up a poll dismissively suggesting that an accidental release was “almost certainly not true,” called the lab in question “the focus of conspiracies” and, of course, used it to take shots at President Trump. pic.twitter.com/grBgezu9vk
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) May 18, 2021
Here’s a piece from @ChrisCillizza from February 2020 that points back to a CNN fact check suggesting that you can “draw a line through it and say that didn’t happen” about the lab release theory.
Care to revisit this one, Mr. Cillizza? pic.twitter.com/nUYciGZzkk
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) May 18, 2021
Luckily, in case your relatives were suggesting that this “conspiracy theory” about a lab release were true, @oliverdarcy has you covered with this “how to debunk coronavirus misinformation and conspiracy theories” piece that references the origin of the virus. pic.twitter.com/5rT4r4wq4v
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) May 18, 2021
The way that @MSNBC and @chrislhayes frame these two separate issues seems instructive.
When a theory without enough evidence doesn’t help the narrative, it’s a conspiracy theory.
When it does help the narrative, it’s just an open question – even if it’s a lot less plausible. pic.twitter.com/PqMDKvWV18
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) May 18, 2021
But that wasn’t all from @washingtonpost.
I don’t get how you can factcheck something that we don’t know the facts on – nonetheless conclude that one potentiality is “doubtful.”
And notice the defensive crouch – here & everywhere else – around the “unsubstantiated” lab theory. pic.twitter.com/wBVhDJEOIH
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) May 18, 2021
There was a rush across the board to tell the story as a battle between Trump and a lab in China. As you can imagine, Trump played the role of the villain, at least for places like @ABC back in May of 2020.
In retrospect, it appears obvious that framing wasn’t helpful. pic.twitter.com/9rBu8BUAGs
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) May 18, 2021
It’s hard to fault @CBSNews when the sources weren’t exactly bulletproof, in retrospect.
But that makes a broader point: journalists should be distrustful of official sources of info. That’s historically been true. Lately, it’s been anything but – leading to errors like this. pic.twitter.com/BM3t9TSXOd
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) May 18, 2021
@Reuters did the same thing but perhaps worse.
Again: it seems inconceivable to me that so many outlets would take a virology lab run by a hostile autocratic power at their word as a source of truth on what happened.
But lots of them did. pic.twitter.com/H2etyYystC
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) May 18, 2021
And of course the usual conspiracy theorists like @MaxBlumenthal had their own perspectives on this one, that just happened to neatly fit all of their priors about the world and how it works (a consistent theme in this thread). pic.twitter.com/y7oXoLjH4g
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) May 18, 2021
Do we know for certain how the pandemic started? No, and it isn’t clear that we ever will. I tried to give a lot of leeway on this one given that.
But as you can see, the narrative was strong, the dismissal of other ideas was near-religious, and now it’s as if it never happened.
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) May 18, 2021
Also, for those not familiar with the changing conversation about the possibility of a lab leak origin, here’s a good thread: t.co/htDim1IcPh
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) May 19, 2021
RICHARD FERNANDEZ: The return of the lab origin theory. “Why are Biden and the media suddenly open to the former “conspiracy theory” of a lab origin of the coronavirus pandemic. First it was never purely a conspiracy theory. From the beginning many reputable experts urged the possibility be investigated. What may be happening is the tide is turning within the bureaucratic scientific establishment. As we learn more about the virus and the so-called missing link continues to be missing it is becoming increasingly difficult to blithely accept the original MSM assurance.”
Related: Timeline of What Dr. Fauci Has Said About the Wuhan Lab and COVID’s Origins. “Having once dismissed the possibility that the Wuhan Institute of Virology was the source of the novel coronavirus as a ‘circular argument,’ his admission this month that the lab could be the starting point prompted criticism.”
Plus: “When Republicans first raised questions about the WIV’s role in the COVID-19 outbreak back in early 2020, the experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, were quick to dismiss them as baseless, unscientific allegations.”
More (From Ed): Biden administration terminated probe into possibility of Wuhan lab leak: report.
h/t Dan & Glenn