position: EnglishChannel > Comment > Article

Scientific Fightback Against Political Origin Tracing

Source: Science and Technology Daily| 2022-01-06 09:15:32| Author: Staff Reporters

By Staff Reporters

Thea Kolsen Fischer, a member of the World Health Organization (WHO) team who visited China to investigate the origins of the coronavirus, recently published her personal experiences in Wuhan city in her book Virusdetektiven. The book details her COVID-19 tracing research in China, working with the WHO-initiated Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, including being witness to China's struggle against the pandemic, the objectively difficult but ultimately satisfactory investigation results. Also, in the book, how she was involved in the political game let the public witness U.S. media's ability to reverse the truth.

What attracted the most attention around the book is her experience being interviewed by the American media, such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. Her answers were distorted to the public by these media. In other words, this is a scandal that uses science as a political tool.

It is not the first time science has encountered this kind of situation. In early 2021, after the WHO team's investigation in China, the review panel praised China for its transparency. However, western media, such as The New York Times, used this to fabricate false reports, such as "China resistance to revealing information about the early days of the coronavirus outbreak" and "Chinese scientists refused to share raw data." This distortion upset many WHO experts who refuted the media allegations. Among them, panel member Peter Daszak tweeted directly on February 13, 2021 that, "Shame on you @nytimes (The New York Times)!"



Daszak and Fischer tweet against distorted American's COVID-19 origin tracing reports. (PHOTO: SCREENSHOT)

As a result, The New York Times published a full interview with Daszak on February 14, in which Daszak revealed some information that had never been released before." For example, he said that, "China acted quickly and professionally in the early stage of the pandemic, and had already conducted extensive and in -depth investigations and studies."

Today, more and more WHO experts are speaking out in this regard.

Fischer's revelation of the "political traceability" conspiracy in the U.S. resonated with the scientific community. That is, when facts are distorted because of ulterior motives, there is certain to be a backlash.

China is an ancient civilization, one of the core values of which is reflected in the fact that after thousands of years of exploration and trial and error, the entire nation has reached a consensus on respecting and adhering to common sense. Therefore, today, in the face of political smearing by inferring guilt, we understand that even if a lie is repeated a thousand times, it will not become a truth.

Science, to some extent, is the most standardized summary and conclusion of common sense. To participate in science requires honesty to pursue the truth and take pride in that honesty.

However, during the last difficult two years of the pandemic, some respected scientists, who should have otherwise been pioneers in the fight against the coronavirus, were caught in the irrational frenzy of political battles. They became scapegoats for those with vested interests or those who avoid getting punished for their malfeasance.

This is not the first or second time western media have politically distorted the truth of the origin tracing of COVID -19. However, after scientists like Daszak and Fischer stood out to voice for the truth, it is gratifying that  the support from  scientific community is increasing.

Editor:余昊原

Top News

  • For tea enthusiasts, the changing of seasons is a prelude to the much awaited first cup of spring tea. Sipping fresh green tea in early spring seems to physically herald the arrival of the season of blossoms. Among all tea categories, green tea is the first to hit market shelves each year, and the most produced and consumed tea in China, accounting for 50-60 percent of total tea sales.

China-Thailand Cooperation Produces Hydro-floating Solar Power

A hydro-floating solar project jointly built by Chinese and Thai companies started commercial operation on March 5 to support Thailand's clean energy development drive.

Stunning Indicators Call for More Joint Climate Action

“Sirens are blaring across all major indicators... Some records aren’t just chart-topping, they’re chart-busting. And changes are speeding up,” United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned.

Copyright © Science and Technology Daily, All Rights Reserved

mailto: yuhy@stdaily.com