this post was submitted on 14 Jun 2024
123 points (93.6% liked)

World News

39004 readers
2840 users here now

A community for discussing events around the World

Rules:

Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.


Lemmy World Partners

News !news@lemmy.world

Politics !politics@lemmy.world

World Politics !globalpolitics@lemmy.world


Recommendations

For Firefox users, there is media bias / propaganda / fact check plugin.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/media-bias-fact-check/

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

Reuters.com

all 18 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] stevedidwhat_infosec@infosec.pub 23 points 5 months ago

Let’s be clear - this was a disgusting move on behalf of the US. Something that happened under Drumpf, specifically pushed by the military state, and against actual diplomats wishes.

This, yet again, was stupidity pushed by the toxic burning pit of tires that is the military in the US. Backed by a moron Fascist, that was shutdown when Biden came into office (eventually, after it worked for the most part and became less relevant - go figure. Classic opportunistic, ‘we’re the good guy’ democrats)

This government is rotten and decaying and its death is expedited by war-hungry militaries. As it appears to be, across the world and nations. We have a human problem on our hands and no amount of “we’re the good guys” will ever solve it. Everyone is complicit in this shit and it’s time we fucking own up to our failures and struggles to actually solve the root of our problems. Enough is enough.

[–] SGGeorwell@lemmy.world 16 points 5 months ago (4 children)

That’s not exactly what happened if you read the article behind the bad headline. They were sowing doubt in the Chinese vaccine specifically in the Philippines, not vaccines in general.

[–] TokenBoomer@lemmy.world 17 points 5 months ago (1 children)

And that makes it okay ✅

“Why did you do it when people were dying? We were desperate,” said Dr. Nina Castillo-Carandang, a former adviser to the World Health Organization and Philippines government during the pandemic. “We don’t have our own vaccine capacity,” she noted, and the U.S. propaganda effort “contributed even more salt into the wound.”

[–] intelshill@lemmy.ca -3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Lmao this community is full of people who deepthroat the State Department and thank Blinken for the privilege.

[–] Grimy@lemmy.world 6 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

The U.S. military’s anti-vax effort began in the spring of 2020 and expanded beyond Southeast Asia before it was terminated in mid-2021, Reuters determined. Tailoring the propaganda campaign to local audiences across Central Asia and the Middle East, the Pentagon used a combination of fake social media accounts on multiple platforms to spread fear of China’s vaccines among Muslims at a time when the virus was killing tens of thousands of people each day. A key part of the strategy: amplify the disputed contention that, because vaccines sometimes contain pork gelatin, China’s shots could be considered forbidden under Islamic law.

It seems it only started in the Philippines but ya it was mainly aimed at the Chinese vaccine and PPE. It's more cutt throat shady business than anti-vax stupidity.

[–] electric_nan@lemmy.ml 4 points 5 months ago

There were no other covid vaccines available there.

[–] Wogi@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

I mean the anti vax campaign worked well for Russia, so why not sew doubt in preventive measures during a global health crisis?

[–] FartsWithAnAccent@fedia.io 12 points 5 months ago

Hey, remember how it's shitty to do things like this? Us Americans don't like it when other countries do it to us, right? Maybe let's all stop with this bullshit, huh?

[–] partial_accumen@lemmy.world 11 points 5 months ago (1 children)

This was bad policy by the USA. The Chinese vaccines weren't as good (lower efficacy) than others available, but they were much better than nothing. Where there was no availability of better vaccines, this discouraged people from getting any protection. People died because of this stupid program.

The military program started under former President Donald Trump and continued months into Joe Biden’s presidency, Reuters found – even after alarmed social media executives warned the new administration that the Pentagon had been trafficking in COVID misinformation. The Biden White House issued an edict in spring 2021 banning the anti-vax effort, which also disparaged vaccines produced by other rivals, and the Pentagon initiated an internal review, Reuters found.

Why is there zero surprise this was done by the Trump administration and undone by Biden?

[–] Linkerbaan@lemmy.world 4 points 5 months ago (1 children)

continued months into Joe Biden’s presidency, Reuters found – even after alarmed social media executives warned the new administration that the Pentagon had been trafficking in COVID misinformation.

Did continue it for a year during the peak of covid.

[–] partial_accumen@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago

I would have liked it to end sooner, but there was a lot to undo that first year.

[–] zik@lemmy.world 8 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I wonder how many thousands of people died as a result.

[–] arin@lemmy.world 1 points 5 months ago
[–] naturalgasbad@lemmy.ca 7 points 5 months ago

The US disrupting foreign affairs in order to prevent an ally from swaying towards a rival? I've never seen this one before /s

[–] nekandro@lemmy.ml 2 points 5 months ago

It makes sense now how antivaxxing went from a fringe movement to a cornerstone of right-wing ideology lol