DISINFO: Harvard professor arrested for creating COVID-19
SUMMARY
Professor Charles Lieber from Harvard University had been arrested in the United States for creating the novel coronavirus. Lieber could have supplied China with the nanotechnology necessary for creating the coronavirus.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin narrative that the novel coronavirus is man-made and spread by the US. Charles Lieber’s arrest has nothing to do with the novel coronavirus. News about the arrest of Professor Charles Lieber, Chair of the Chemistry and Chemical Biology Department at Harvard University, first emerged on January 28, 2020. Lieber was accused of lying to the U.S. Department of Defense about his connections with China. The U.S. government deemed the cooperation a security concern. A number of U.S. media outlets reported about the fact, while Harvard University released an official statement. Georgian resource Myth Detector has studied the case and found that disinformation about Professor Lieber’s links to coronavirus was spread by clickbait and hidden websites. They deliberately used sensational headlines to spread the news about Lieber’s arrest. Russian sources cloned well-known Western brands, such as BBC and CNN, creating a perception that famous international media outlets were the sources of information.