The DisInformation Chronicle

The DisInformation Chronicle is an investigative journalism platform focusing on scientific disinformation, with an emphasis on health and pandemic-related topics. It scrutinizes government policies, media reporting, and pharmaceutical industry practices, questioning the validity of public health guidelines and the influence of conflicts of interest.

Health Policy and Guidelines Media and Journalism Ethics Pharmaceutical Industry Practices Government and Regulatory Actions Scientific Research and Integrity Social Media and Information Censorship

The hottest Substack posts of The DisInformation Chronicle

And their main takeaways

Congress Corrects the Record on CDC Director Walensky’s False Claim about Masks

670 implied HN points • 09 May 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Misinformation Public Health COVID Policy
  1. Congress is correcting CDC Director Walensky's false claim about masks to ensure public trust in health officials.
  2. There is pushback against misleading claims on masks' effectiveness, with concerns about conflicts of interest and Cochrane's troubles.
  3. Cochrane board member Catherine Marshall failed to disclose consulting gigs with the New Zealand government on COVID policy, raising questions about her advice and potential conflicts.

Why Is the Justice Department Bird-Dogging Public Universities’ Releases of Public Information?

255 implied HN points • 07 Mar 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Government Regulation
  1. The Justice Department is scrutinizing public universities' releases of information about sensitive science programs, such as disinformation research and bioweapons studies.
  2. Congress and the public are increasingly concerned about the government's involvement in 'disinformation research' and funding dangerous virus studies that may have led to the pandemic.
  3. Federal authorities are closely monitoring academic data related to potentially controversial scientific endeavors, raising questions about transparency and accountability.

Science Magazine’s Paper Advocating Market Origin for COVID Based on False Statistics

270 implied HN points • 12 Feb 24
🔬 Science Virology Journalism Statistics
  1. A group of virologists, including Anthony Fauci, may have intentionally diverted attention away from a possible lab accident in Wuhan at the start of the pandemic.
  2. An analysis published in a British science journal has found that the Science Magazine study advocating for the market origin of COVID is based on flawed statistics, contradicting the claims made in the study.
  3. While American media has largely ignored the analysis questioning Science Magazine's study, German journalists, like those from the weekly science magazine Spektrum, have reported on it.

Pandemic Reporting Failed to Seek Facts While Favoring Biopharma Public Relations

665 implied HN points • 07 Mar 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Journalism Pharma Reporting Misinformation Advocacy
  1. Pandemic reporting should prioritize seeking facts over favoring biopharma public relations.
  2. Journalists should uphold journalistic ethics and verify claims before publishing articles.
  3. Advocacy journalism threatens democracy by undermining informed decision-making and should be countered with fact-based reporting.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

Long Before Suspicions Arose About A Lab Leak, Government Scientists Were Fiddling With Bugs to Make Them More Deadly

640 implied HN points • 28 Feb 23
🏥 Health Politics Research Bioweapons Chronic Disease
  1. Government scientists were conducting research to make bugs more deadly and contagious, potentially contributing to the increase in Lyme disease cases.
  2. There is evidence suggesting that Lyme disease may have an unnatural origin related to bioweapons research programs.
  3. There are challenges in addressing chronic Lyme disease, with issues surrounding testing, treatment, and the development of effective vaccines.

The New York Times Confronts Anthony Fauci with Anthony Fauci

585 implied HN points • 04 Apr 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Government Policy News
  1. The New York Times confronted Anthony Fauci with his own contradictory statements on the origin of the pandemic.
  2. Fauci dismissed the lab leak theory as a conspiracy theory in the past but later was found to have been involved in downplaying it.
  3. This is not the first time Fauci has been caught misremembering details, but it is the first time the New York Times publicly confronted him on it.

TWITTER FILES: Twitter Provided Privileged Access to Banning Queen, Taylor Lorenz

520 implied HN points • 18 May 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Social media Journalism Ethics Online behavior Censorship
  1. Twitter provided privileged access to Taylor Lorenz for banning accounts and monitoring online conversations about her.
  2. Taylor Lorenz had a pattern of reporting accounts and individuals she disagreed with, resulting in suspensions.
  3. Lorenz faced allegations of doxing and influencing social media platforms to take action against her critics.

TWITTER FILES: WHO Censored Itself on Vaccines to Help Twitter Censor Tucker Carlson

525 implied HN points • 27 Apr 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Media Twitter Vaccine COVID-19
  1. The media can be influenced by money and elites to shape narratives and protect those in power.
  2. Journalistic failures and biases have been exposed in coverage of figures like Trump and Tucker Carlson.
  3. Twitter was involved in attempting to control vaccine information and limit damage to the World Health Organization by discussing how to mitigate the impact of Tucker Carlson's reporting without direct censorship.

Publisher Taylor & Francis Joins Science Magazine As Venue For Sleazy Scientific Behavior

205 implied HN points • 28 Feb 24
🔬 Science Research Ethics Pandemic
  1. Publisher Taylor & Francis has been criticized for unethical behavior in scientific publishing, such as ignoring concerns about a commentary related to the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic
  2. Instances of questionable scientific behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic continue to be uncovered, raising concerns about the integrity of research findings
  3. Criticism has been directed towards Science Magazine for publishing a study with flawed statistics regarding the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic

How Congress Can Investigate the Pandemic Origins Cover-up

535 implied HN points • 14 Mar 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Investigation Corruption Cover-up Documents Funding
  1. Researchers and the National Institutes of Health gamed the science - follow the documents, follow the money.
  2. Congress should demand that the NIH release documents hidden from reporters and investigate criminal misuse by virologists at USAID.
  3. Congress also needs to demand documents and financial records from university virologists funded by the NIH to get to the bottom of the pandemic's origins.

Science Magazine Reaches New Low, Defames Their Critics

35 implied HN points • 19 Mar 24
🔬 Science Research Journalism Virology Pandemic Criticism
  1. Science Magazine published a defamatory article attacking critics but later had to retract false information, exposing a consistent theme of inaccuracy in science reporting.
  2. The journalists at Science Magazine showed bias and ignored evidence that contradicted their reporting, leading to criticism for unethical practices.
  3. Researchers pointed out flawed research and misleading behavior from virologists, highlighting the importance of ethical journalism and integrity in science reporting.