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发帖数: 1 | 1 Dr. Yan had wanted to remain anonymous. As early as mid-January, Ms. Yan,
who does research in Hong Kong, had heard rumors that a dangerous new virus
had emerged in mainland China and that the government was playing it down.
Worried about her personal safety and career, she offered her help to her
favorite Chinese-language YouTube host, known for his criticism of the
Chinese government.
A few days later, the host told his 100,000 followers that the Chinese
Communist Party had deliberately unleashed a novel coronavirus. He said he
would not give the name of the source because party officials could “
disappear” the person.
By September, Ms. Yan was no longer so cautious. She appeared on Fox News in
the United States to announce to millions an unproven claim that the Novel
Coronavirus is a Chinese-made biological weapon.
Overnight, Ms. Yan has become a sensation in the right-wing media, with
President Trump’s top advisers and conservative pundits hailing her as a
hero. Just as quickly, social media labeled her interview as containing “
false information,” and scientists rejected her research as ssophism
dressed up in jargon.
Ms. Yan’s evolution from researcher to whistler is the product of the
collaboration of two unrelated but increasingly united groups spreading
disinformation: a small but active overseas Chinese group, and a highly
influential far-right group in the United States.
Both groups see an opportunity to advance their agendas in the novel
coronavirus pandemic. For overseas Chinese, Ms. Yan and her baseless claims
provide a weapon for those seeking to overthrow the Chinese government. For
American conservatives, it allows them to pander to rising anti-China
sentiment in the West and distract attention from the Trump administration’
s failure to respond to the epidemic.
Both have taken advantage of China’s reluctance to provide information. The
Chinese government has refused to share virus samples and has blocked a
transparent, independent investigation into the source of the virus. Its
initial cover-up of the outbreak further fuelled suspicions about the source
of the virus.
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Abundant evidence suggests that novel coronavirus almost certainly
originated in animals, most likely some kind of bat, and then evolved into a
pathogen capable of infecting humans. While American intelligence agencies
have not ruled out the possibility of a laboratory leak, they have so far
found no evidence to support that view.
https://cn.nytimes.com/business/20201120/covid-misinformation-china/ |
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