Exclusive: Documents obtained by The Intercept provide details of U.S.-funded research on several types of coronaviruses at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China. https://t.co/1TVHHFWqzX
— The Intercept (@theintercept) September 7, 2021
It seems that NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci was lying when he emphatically insisted to Sen. Rand Paul that the United States had not funded gain-of-function research on coronaviruses at the WIV. Go figure!
Well, as damning as these findings are for Fauci, they don’t exactly do The Intercept tons of favors, either. Intercept cofounder Glenn Greenwald, who left the outlet last year, explains why:
1/ This is amazing. In July, @TheIntercept had one of its most dishonest partisan hacks, @RobertMackey, basically call @RandPaul a liar and deranged conspiracy theorist over and over for suggesting Fauci funded research that could’ve caused the pandemic:https://t.co/sfB0Fxm3IZ
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) September 7, 2021
2/ But yesterday, the very same @theintercept admits it sought documents about Fauci-funded research by EcoHealth (Peter Daszak’s group) that “raise additional questions about the theory that the pandemic may have begun in a lab accident.”https://t.co/R4UbfZSCWa
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) September 7, 2021
3/ Specifically, the documents the Intercept sought — which I’ll bet any amount of money they thought would debunk Paul & vindicate Fauci — instead did the opposite (oops). The docs more than ever link Daszak’s research to possible COVID origins. pic.twitter.com/H8JMBUIRNb
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) September 7, 2021
4/ Even when they accidentally do reporting that undermines liberal political causes, Intercept editors have to make sure they stay loyal. The admit that Daszak’s highly risking research was funded by NIAID, but never once mention the name “Fauci,” the Director of that agency: pic.twitter.com/xRXKT6qyMO
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) September 7, 2021
(and just by the way: this is why I also found irrational and incomprehensible the insistence by some on the left that that lab-leak theory shouldn’t be investigated – even if it’s true – due to fears of stoking Cold War hatred of China. The research was also *US*-funded and led)
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) September 7, 2021
Daszak originated the open letter that set the tone for the entire media dismissal of lab leak theory as conspiracy. Why he is not more infamous is beyond me. I rarely see his name. He is a primary villain in this tale.
— Julien H. الاثنين المولد (@JulienHKK) September 7, 2021
Exactly. It was Daszak who spearheaded the Lancet letter very early on in the pandemic to mock and dismiss the *possibility* that the virus could have leaked from a lab, insisting it was zoonotic, knowing that it was his Fauci-funded research at risk:https://t.co/gZmS1zgYlH
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) September 7, 2021
Glenn Greenwald’s got no dog in this fight, which means he’s free to direct his criticism wherever. And that means The Intercept is in his crosshairs — where they belong.
There’s no denying that The Intercept’s article on Fauci is valuable. Unfortunately for The Intercept, there’s also no denying that they let their bias get in the way of their journalism.
Glenn points out an interesting thing here – not only the constantly shifting window of acceptable debate around covid, but the fact that The Intercept published this hit *at the same time* that they were seeking FOIA documents about the exact same claims made by Rand Paul. https://t.co/pGGgzbIVp7
— Noam “MF Blum” (@neontaster) September 7, 2021
What’s the difference between a crazy conspiracy theory and reality? Two months. Thread 👇 https://t.co/zy8fXPUspm
— hairlessmonkey (@hairlessmonkey) September 7, 2021
Unreal yet totally obvious https://t.co/HgxEq8RO2R
— Alex (@Ajsoti) September 7, 2021
And it has consequences.
Thread on an example of the politicizing of our viral situation via reporting.
Regardless of what “side” you are on, this is exactly why you have Americans ignoring almost any reporting and swing the pendulum to “do their own research.” Can’t have it both ways. Either honestly https://t.co/tB1p11HO6i
— Cody Bockelkamp (@PstrCHAMP) September 7, 2021
Report OR risk Americans doing their own thing because you’ve broken trust.
— Cody Bockelkamp (@PstrCHAMP) September 7, 2021