Talk:COVID-19 misinformation
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Origins of COVID-19: Current consensus
- (RfC, February 2021): There is
no consensus as to whether the COVID-19 lab leak hypothesis is a "conspiracy theory" or if it is a "minority, but scientific viewpoint". There is no rough consensus to create a separate section/subsection from the other theories related to the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
- There is consensus against defining "disease and pandemic origins" (broadly speaking) as a form of biomedical information for the purpose of WP:MEDRS. However, information that already fits into biomedical information remains classified as such, even if it relates to disease and pandemic origins (e.g. genome sequences, symptom descriptions, phylogenetic trees). (RfC, May 2021):
How a disease spreads, what changes its likelihood to spread and mutation information are, I believe, biomedical (or chemical) information. But who created something or where it was created is historical information.
[...]Sources for information of any kind should be reliable, and due weight should be given in all cases. A minority viewpoint or theory should not be presented as an absolute truth, swamp scientific consensus or drown out leading scientific theories.
- In multiple prior non-RFC discussions about manuscripts authored by Rossana Segreto and/or Yuri Deigin, editors have found the sources to be unreliable. Specifically, editors were not convinced by the credentials of the authors, and concerns were raised with the editorial oversight of the BioEssays "Problems & Paradigms" series. (Jan 2021, Jan 2021, Jan 2021, Feb 2021, June 2021, ...)
- The consensus of scientists is that SARS-CoV-2 is likely of zoonotic origin. (January 2021, May 2021, May 2021, May 2021, June 2021, June 2021)
- The March 2021 WHO report on the origins of SARS-CoV-2 should be referred to as the "WHO-convened report" or "WHO-convened study" on first usage in article prose, and may be abbreviated as "WHO report" or "WHO study" thereafter. (RfC, June 2021)
- The "manufactured bioweapon" idea should be described as a "conspiracy theory" in wiki-voice. (January 2021, February 2021, May 2021, May 2021, June 2021, June 2021, June 2021, June 2021, July 2021, July 2021, July 2021, August 2021)
- (RfC, December 2021):
Should the article include the sentence They have dismissed the theory based in part on Shi's emailed answers. See this revision for an example.[1]
[...]Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow... - it is obvious that there is clear consensus against including this.
- (RFC, October 2023):
There is a consensus against mentioning that the FBI and the U.S. Department of Energy announced in 2023 that they favor the lab leak theory in the lead of this article.
The article COVID-19 lab leak theory may not go through the requested moves process between 4 March 2024 and 3 March 2025. (RM, March 2024)- In the article COVID-19 lab leak theory there is
no consensus to retain "the lab leak theory and its weaponization by politicians have both leveraged and increased anti-Chinese racism" in the lead. Neither, however, is there a consensus to remove it from the lead.
(RFC, December 2024).
Lab leak theory sources
[edit]
This section is pinned and will not be automatically archived. |
List of good sources with good coverage to help expand. Not necessarily for inclusion but just for consideration. Preferably not articles that just discuss a single quote/press conference. The long-style reporting would be even better. Feel free to edit directly to add to the list. ProcrastinatingReader (talk) 17:39, 18 July 2021 (UTC)
Last updated by Julian Brown (talk) 23:43, 12 November 2023 (UTC)
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For the relevant sourcing guideline, see WP:SCHOLARSHIP. For a database curated by the NCBI, see LitCoVID |
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For the relevant sourcing guideline, see WP:NEWSORG. |
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For the relevant sourcing guideline, see WP:RSOPINION. |
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For the relevant sourcing guideline, see WP:RSOPINION. |
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Keep in mind, these are primary sources and thus should be used with caution! |
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Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 4 June 2025
[edit]![]() | This edit request has been answered. Set the |answered= parameter to no to reactivate your request. |
Please change the citation under [21] from :
Bursztyn L, Rao A, Roth C, Yanagizawa-Drott D (19 April 2020). "Misinformation During a Pandemic". Becker Friedman Institute for Economics at the University of Chicago. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2020
to
Bursztyn, Leonardo, Aakaash Rao, Christopher Roth, and David Yanagizawa-Drott. "Opinions as facts." The Review of Economic Studies 90, no. 4 (2023): 1832-1864. https://doi.org/10.1093/restud/rdac065
Explanation: the current citation is an old working paper version of the published article. The authors changed the name of the paper that was eventually published. For source see one of the authors's webpage (where he writes in the notes of the title page that the paper was previously titled "Misinformation During a Pandemic". See also the site of th ejournal where the paper is published: https://yanagizawadrott.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/OpinionsAsFacts_Revised.pdf Tarquaeron (talk) 08:45, 4 June 2025 (UTC)
Fauci Lied
[edit]The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.
An elite unit of scientists working for the Defense Intelligence Agency concluded three months after the pandemic began that COVID-19 likely was genetically manufactured and escaped a Chinese lab rather than evolving in nature as Dr. Anthony Fauci claimed, a bombshell revelation now at the heart of ongoing investigations into a possible U.S. intelligence cover-up.
“SARS-CoV-2 Spike Appears to be a Chimera,” a slide from the DIA National Center for Medical Intelligence's June 25, 2020 presentation declared, using the scientific terms for the COVID-19 virus and the “chimera’ term for a genetically engineered pathogen that is a combination of pieces from two separate viruses. 129.222.125.135 (talk) 22:38, 9 June 2025 (UTC)
- It is very hard to do something with your comment. If you would like to request an edit, please make a formal edit request, describing which old text you want to replace with which new text, and adding your sources. Friendly, Lova Falk (talk) 12:04, 10 June 2025 (UTC)
- Its also not true, there are naturally occurring chimeric viruses such as BSL-RDHV. Slatersteven (talk) 12:18, 10 June 2025 (UTC)
Extended-confirmed-protected edit request on 12 June 2025
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You are promoting misinformation about misinformation. Tar. Maloney supposed °misinformation was later proved to be accurate. I suspect the editors are liberal democrats or have been paid off by them. 4.15.40.101 (talk) 13:25, 12 June 2025 (UTC)
Not doneUnactionable silliness. Bon courage (talk) 13:27, 12 June 2025 (UTC)
Images needed, but removed after addition.
[edit]With https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=COVID-19_misinformation&oldid=prev&diff=1296918659, @TarnishedPath reverted my addition of this image to the article's ivermectin section. The article topic is misinformation and this is among the most prominent exemplars thereof. Along with the FDA's you're not a horse tweet, which should also be featured. Articles should have images, and these are good ones.

RememberOrwell (talk) 10:14, 23 June 2025 (UTC)
- Yeah, this is an article about misinformation, not a conduit for it. Even blandly describing the shit in that site as "studies" is going a bit far. A picture of Didier Raoult or Bret Weinstein or similar might better show the face of "misinformation". Bon courage (talk) 10:21, 23 June 2025 (UTC)
- Wasn't that image or similar discussed as part of an AE report not that long ago? TarnishedPathtalk 10:29, 23 June 2025 (UTC)
- My memory serves me correct. See Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Enforcement/Archive350#RememberOrwell. TarnishedPathtalk 10:33, 23 June 2025 (UTC)
- Sorry, what are you saying? It's hard to show misinformation without ... showing misinformation.
- What percentage of the studies cited are shit? It appears they list all studies. Some are going to be shit, as with any large list of publications.
- A photo of Didier Raoult or Bret Weinstein doesn't contain misinformation, but also seem reasonable.
- What is up with your and TarnishedPath's apparent aggressive attitude and obsession with this article/topic? Seems to be something you have a close connection to. Do you? RememberOrwell (talk) 10:35, 23 June 2025 (UTC)
- @RememberOrwell, do you intend on continuing with your incivility and vague accusations? TarnishedPathtalk 10:42, 23 June 2025 (UTC)
- You asked a question that had a presumption built into it so that it couldn't be answered without appearing guilty. Do you use logical tricks like that intentionally? RememberOrwell (talk) 10:47, 23 June 2025 (UTC)
- As you refuse to answer and are using logical tricks, I choose to disengage. You have made it clear I am not welcome here. RememberOrwell (talk) 10:57, 23 June 2025 (UTC)
- I don't see any logical tricks here. --Hob Gadling (talk) 11:50, 23 June 2025 (UTC)
- We're all presumably here trying to improve the encyclopedia. Treat your fellow editors like you believe that to be the case. RememberOrwell (talk) 10:43, 23 June 2025 (UTC)
- Just throwing an almost context-free misinformation-containing screenshot from a misinformation page, without explaining what is wrong with it, can be interpreted by hapless readers as correct information that debunks misinformation and does not improve the article. --Hob Gadling (talk) 11:50, 23 June 2025 (UTC)
- It's the third time this has been attempted. WP:NOTDUMB. Bon courage (talk) 12:09, 23 June 2025 (UTC)
- Just throwing an almost context-free misinformation-containing screenshot from a misinformation page, without explaining what is wrong with it, can be interpreted by hapless readers as correct information that debunks misinformation and does not improve the article. --Hob Gadling (talk) 11:50, 23 June 2025 (UTC)
- @RememberOrwell, do you intend on continuing with your incivility and vague accusations? TarnishedPathtalk 10:42, 23 June 2025 (UTC)
- Why do we need a picture? Slatersteven (talk) 12:44, 23 June 2025 (UTC)
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