Tucker Carlson is hitting back at Facebook after a video that was posted was flagged for "False Information". He is now crying censorship over their correction.
Earlier this week, Carlson had Dr. Li-Meng Yan on his show, where she repeated the discredited idea that the current pandemic is caused by a man-made virus. It was a clip of this that was flagged on Facebook.
If you go to view the video, you are presented with a screen that warns you of the false nature of the claims.
Tucker Carlson Tonight / Facebook
And if you then click the button to "See Why" you are given a list of articles from reputable sources explaining the issues with the video.
Tucker Carlson Tonight / Facebook
In the clip, Carlson interviews Dr. Yan who claimed to have worked in a lab in China related to the virus and to have sounded the alarm on possible human-to-human transference back in December.
She says:
"This virus... actually is not from nature. It is a man-made virus created in the lab."
She also claims to have evidence of this, but it was not presented on the show at all nor anywhere else.
After the video was flagged for spreading false information about the pandemic, Carlson used his show Wednesday night to rail against Facebook and claim that he was being censored. It should be noted that despite these claims of censorship, the video is still viewable in its entirety by clicking the "See Video" button.
Many online have criticized Carlson for interviewing the doctor and his meltdown.
Despite Dr. Yan's claims, there has been repeated research into the origin of the virus, and time and time again, it has been determined that it was not man-made. Rather, the virus has a zoonotic genesis.
While the precise animal has not been identified, bats are a very common carrier of similar diseases. More research will need to be conducted to be sure.
In addition, Dr. Yan has co-authored a paper about her hypothesis that the virus is man-made. This paper was published by two non-profit groups with ties to Steve Bannon, the former senior Trump advisor who is currently facing charges of fraud related to abusing other non-profits he operated.
Despite all this, many are taking her word for it, and debates are breaking out online.
While Twitter has yet to flag the video the way Facebook has, they have suspended the account of Dr. Li-Meng Yan. But Carlson is still free to peddle the misinformation online and on the largest cable news network.
Somehow, I doubt many will lose sleep over his claims of censorship.
@jessicachastain/Instagram
