Health Misinformation Worries Ramp Up Amid Social Media Chaos
White House covid czar Ashish Jha says social media owners should take responsibility for fighting false information on their platforms, and he urged the public to check sources. Separately, Missouri's attorney general will depose Dr. Anthony Fauci on Biden administration work with social media companies to suppress misinformation.
Reuters:
White House's Jha: Social Media Platform Owners Should Consider Role In COVID Misinformation
Owners of social media platforms should consider their personal responsibility regarding health disinformation, and the public should choose reputable sources to trust, White House COVID-19 response coordinator Ashish Jha said on Tuesday. "You can decide to trust America's physicians, or you can trust some random dude on Twitter. Those are your choices," Jha said at a White House press briefing. (11/22)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Missouri Attorney General Set To Depose Fauci As Part Of Censorship Claim
Missouri’s soon-to-depart attorney general is scheduled to depose Dr. Anthony Fauci Wednesday in a lawsuit alleging Biden administration officials worked with social media companies to suppress misinformation about COVID-19. (Erickson, 11/22)
Yahoo News:
Reactivated Marjorie Taylor Greene Vows To Test 'Every Limit Of Free Speech' On Twitter
Less than one year after Twitter "permanently suspended" Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's personal account from its platform for violating its company policy on COVID-19 misinformation, the Georgia Republican returned on Monday to the site she'd once blasted as "an enemy to America." Greene's account is a beneficiary of new owner Elon Musk's rolling effort to reactivate predominantly far right-wing figures previously barred under Twitter's earlier leadership, including former President Donald Trump. (Schwartz, 11/22)
The New York Times:
How Covid Myths Spread On Far-Right Social Media Platforms
Not long after Randy Watt died of Covid-19, his daughter Danielle sat down at her computer, searching for clues as to why the smart and thoughtful man she knew had refused to get vaccinated. She pulled up Google, typed in a screen name he had used in the past and discovered a secret that stunned her. Her father, she learned, had a hidden, virtual life on Gab, a far-right social media platform that traffics in Covid misinformation. And there was another surprise as well: As he fought the coronavirus, he told his followers that he was taking ivermectin, a drug used to treat parasitic infections that experts say has no benefit — and in fact can be dangerous — for patients with Covid-19. (Stolberg, 11/22)
In case you missed it —
The Daily Beast:
COVID Misinformation Group America’s Frontline Doctors Implodes Over Dr. Simone Gold’s Extravagant Spending
When employees at leading COVID pseudoscience group America’s Frontline Doctors tried to log in to work last week, they found themselves locked out of their email accounts. The nonprofit quickly fell into factions, with employees holding rival Zoom meetings to plot who would take over the group. The organization’s exiled founder, Dr. Simone Gold, tried unsuccessfully to gain access to a private Zoom call, only to find herself stuck in a waiting room. In internal emails, the group’s accountant worried about who could still access the $7 million locked in its bank accounts. (Sommer, 11/14)
