中文
The Wuhan national level-four biosafety lab. [Photo/Xinhua]
By Hamzah Rifaat Hussain
Rationality will always trump speculation in the presence of facts and objectivity. Evidence with solid references can clear atmospheres of vindictive propaganda which are allowed to fester in hostile environments. While Western speculations over the origins of the coronavirus have been rife, the Daily Mail has taken such speculations to a new low by coming up with a bizarre theory. Such reporting will only strengthen the Chinese narrative on the need to separate fact from fiction on COVID-19 and not pursue controversial theories at the expense of impartiality.
While notorious for lopsided coverage and sensationalism, the Daily Mail published a story on April 24 on worrying clues about the origins of the virus and COVID-19, titled "How Scientists and Wuhan lab helped the Chinese army in secret project to find animal viruses." The twisted story is about a nine-year-old nationwide scheme sanctioned by a leading state body (not mentioned) which was tasked to detect the dark matter of biology involved in the spread of diseases in China. The usage of the term "scheme" is a direct reference to the Chinese military where the article is awash with how both Colonel Cao Wuchun and Major General Chen Wei were enmeshed in research activities in institutions such as the Academy of Military Medical Sciences and as part of the Institute of Virology's advisory board. The narrative promoted is that with the assistance of the Chinese military, manipulation of coronaviruses at the Wuhan lab took place.
A woman exercises outside in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, April 16, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua]
Given the downward spiral of Western reporting on the origins of COVID-19 and China in general, this new theory of the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) and the 2.1 million-strong Chinese armed forces working in cohorts is as ridiculous as it is unsurprising. No reference has been made to the documents obtained by the Daily Mail while ascertaining their findings with nothing but mere conjecture. Dr. Shi Zhengli, one of China's leading experts on bat coronaviruses flatly denied military involvement which includes incendiary claims made by the United States alleging collaboration between the WIV and the armed forces. She said she does not know of any military work at the WIV. Furthermore, no official statement from the military officers cited in the article barring their status as military scientists or part of advisory boards were quoted.
This is typical of the Daily Mail, which gained notoriety for printing inaccurate stories on science and medical research, including an "Oncological Ontology Project" in 2010 that misquoted academic papers while discussing remedies for cancer. The fact that such stories continue to be published on such platforms underlines how Daily Mail reporting has reached new lows and can stoop down to any level to discredit China. In an era where conspiracy theories often gain more traction than factual information, such narratives have the potential to gain widespread traction in the British public and beyond. The persistent demonization of the Chinese military, the Chinese government's response to the pandemic and promotion of fallacies published on controversial news platforms should principally cease for the purpose of clarity or impartiality. Biased vendettas however have become the standard protocol while reporting on China, for which platforms such as the Daily Mail are ideal conduits.
Such stories should be dismissed immediately but strengthen the irrefutable fact that China's narrative on the origins of COVID-19 stands strong, both on principle and on objectivity. On the other side, the Daily Mail's recent fallacy continues to hit all-time lows where journalistic ethics, impartiality and evidence-based narratives are compromised. This story is just a recent addition.
Hamzah Rifaat Hussain is a former visiting fellow at the Stimson Center in Washington D.C. and serves as assistant research associate at the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) in Pakistan. He specializes in conflict resolution dynamics and bilateral relations between states.
