It’s hard to separate fact from fiction when it comes to the pandemic and its associated infodemic – the spread of misinformation. There’s long been a conspiracy theory that the virus was maliciously invented in a lab instead of originating at a “wet market” in Wuhan. The World Health Organisation (WHO) investigated the virus’ origins – but not everyone was satisfied with its findings, so now the US and UK have launched their own investigations. It’s a plethora of probes!

So, what can you believe? We’d probably steer clear of the nutty theories that Chinese authorities planned all of this to take down the world. But could they have potentially covered up a lab accident, where the new virus was being studied and maybe jumped to a human? Look, we don’t know that either. Given how much misinformation, disinformation and how many conspiracy theories proliferate on this issue, we advise that you keep your “fake news” antennae finely tuned and carefully assess everything you read by considering the source and the agendas at play.

This article appeared as part of The Wrap, 10 June 2021. Sign up to receive our weekly updates

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