Majority of Covid Misinformation Came From 12 People, Report Finds

[appalachiablue]

Source: The Guardian

CCDH finds ‘disinformation dozen’ have combined following of 59 million people across multiple social media platforms. The vast majority of Covid-19 anti-vaccine misinformation and conspiracy theories originated from just 12 people, a report by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) cited by the White House this week found.

CCDH, a UK/US non-profit and non-governmental organization, found in March that these 12 online personalities they dubbed the “disinformation dozen” have a combined following of 59 million people across multiple social media platforms, with Facebook having the largest impact.

CCDH analyzed 812,000 Facebook posts and tweets and found 65% came from the disinformation dozen. Vivek Murthy, US surgeon general, and Joe Biden focused on misinformation around vaccines this week as a driving force of the virus spreading.

On Facebook alone, the dozen are responsible for 73% of all anti-vaccine content, though the vaccines have been deemed safe and effective by the US government and its regulatory agencies. And 95% of the Covid misinformation reported on these platforms were not removed. Among the dozen are physicians that have embraced pseudoscience, a bodybuilder, a wellness blogger, a religious zealot, and, most notably Robert F Kennedy Jr...

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/17/covid-misinformation-conspiracy-theories-ccdh-report

---

- CNN, 'White House turns up heat on Big Tech's Covid 'disinformation dozen,' 7/16/21.

(CNN Business) The White House turned up the pressure on Silicon Valley to get a handle on vaccine misinformation Thursday, specifically singling out 12 people one group dubbed the "disinformation dozen," saying they were responsible for a great deal of misinformation about Covid-19...
https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/16/tech/misinformation-covid-facebook-twitter-white-house/index.html

[niyad]

1. kennedy and mercola (knew he was an idiot many years ago) did not surprise me. But

I was disappointed in christiane. She used to sound sane on pbs. Have never heard of the others.

[niyad]

6. Northrup, a doctor,

[appalachiablue]

7. Got it

[catrose]

15. Her Our Bodies, Ourselves was a health bible for young women.

Her Wisdom of Menopause was very useful.
I used to go to her clinic in Maine.
I've no idea what happened to her. She's been taking care of an ailing partner for some time, but would that make you turn your back on medical science?

[niyad]

16. Our Bodies Our Selves was by the Boston Women's Health Book Collective, first

published in 1970.

Have recommended her "Wisdom of Menopause" to a number of women, but will not again. It 8s hard to reconcile the person who was on pbs with this person.

[catrose]

18. Sorry! Her book was Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom. I won't be recommending her works either

[SunSeeker]

26. I bought her book Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom and was turned off.

It was recommended by a friend, so I was disappointed by the amount of pseudoscience in it. Couldn't finish it. Would not recommend it to anyone.

[JohnSJ]

2. Like Paul Gossar(sic) is an embarrassment to his family, the same applies

to RFK jr.

[summer_in_TX]

20. Yes, my sons have fallen prey to the misinformation unfortunately.

When I told our oldest we were scheduled to get the Pfizer vaccine, he sent me to RFK's website. I read it over carefully and followed the links. But as I told my son later, anyone who was a neutral advocate would have given the pros and cons. But RFK had nothing but cons on his website.

Too bad.

[JohnSJ]

21. Very sad

[summer_in_TX]

22. Very.

I suspect both sons voted for TFG. One as much as said so.

But I love our ten grandchildren and our boys so we generally don't talk about politics. I don't trust myself to keep from arguing.

[JohnSJ]

23. Very wise

[nwliberalkiwi]

25. Grandchildren

Are your Grandchildren vaccinated? If not you needed to speak-up for their well being---which I know is hard in family dynamics. I mean no disrespect toward you.
I am reminded of a quote by Ella Wheeler Wilcox:

To sin by silence
when we should
protest makes
cowards out of men

[summer_in_TX]

30. You are right.

We've been outnumbered and trying not to be the people who damage their relationship with their adult children by attempting to parent them still.

But it's time and past time to speak up.

[underpants]

3. Yes this has been out since May. Don't forget that Trump himself was 38% of misinformation

Not just on line though. His was standing behind the POTUS seal on nationwide TV everyday.

Trump Fueled 38% Of Pandemic Misinformation, Conspiracies: Study

"We conclude that the President of the United States was likely the largest driver of the COVID-19 misinformation 'infodemic,'" said Cornell University researchers after analyzing 38 million English-language online articles about the pandemic. Other reports of President Donald Trump twisting the facts are also in the news.

Kaiser Health
https://khn.org/morning-breakout/trump-fueled-38-of-pandemic-misinformation-conspiracies-study/

[Ford_Prefect]

4. Arrest them for creating a public health hazard.

[Dan]

10. What needs to happen, is that a single person or group

Can point directly and without doubt, to a family member that listened to that dribble and died as a direct result. File a lawsuit for information leading to a wrongful death and see what happens as they try to defend the indefensible.

If it can be done.

[certainot]

8. that's just social media. rw radio reaching 50 mil/week in the US has been doing it since

it got here. that includes people who call into shows to say and can reach millions to say shit like "there's proof it only lasts a few months" on shows where the hosts agree with the crap. those people can be calling from anywhere and rw radio is being used in india, brazil, mexico and probably a lot of other countries, likely by the kremlin.

[appalachiablue]

11. yes, hate radio too

[YoshidaYui]

9. A bunch of

Dumb ass Republicans?

[Laura PourMeADrink]

12. Wow! This is incredible! Thanks for posting.

[johnthewoodworker]

13. I won't be upset if these guys contract COVID-19 and die. So it goes.

[orleans]

17. so where is the list of names for that dirty dozen?

robert kennedy jr. (who has been singing that anti vax song for YEARS)
trump i assume
who else? did i miss a list of names in the article?

on edit: ok, got it. the list is in the squared off article to page through inside the article on the website; trump not listed

[Justice matters.]

19. The Disinformation Dozen :

1 Joseph Mercola

2 Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

3 Ty & Charlene Bollinger

4 Sherri Tenpenny

5 Rizza Islam

6 Rashid Buttar

7 Erin Elizabeth

8 Sayer Ji

9 Kelly Brogan

10 Christiane Northrup

11 Ben Tapper

12 Kevin Jenkins

Blood on their hands.

[Stuart G]

28. Here is an article about those 12 names above, (if you want more information):

Article from Times of Israel :

Hit this link: https://www.timesofisrael.com/12-accounts-behind-most-online-vaccine-misinformation-covid-conspiracy-theories/

And of course...the liar in charge:....Donald Trump

[gopiscrap]

34. fuckers

[Hekate]

24. May they rot...

Good for Joe for calling them out.

[malthaussen]

27. Fine. Indict them all.

The wilful spread of such disinformation is tantamount to making war on the American people.

-- Mal

[BlueWavePsych]

29. Fucker Carlson is probably #13

[calimary]

31. A keeper for sure!

K&R

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

32. K&R

[clementine613]

33. All of them Rethugs, no doubt.

They ought to be banned from all social media.