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65% of Online Anti-Vaccine Content Is from 12 Individuals
An analysis of over 812,000 posts extracted from Facebook and Twitter between February 1 and March 16, 2021, shows that 65% of anti-vaccine content is attributable to 12 individuals. A number of these individuals benefit financially from their anti-vax work. None of them are the type of source I would depend on.
- Joseph Mercola – an anti-vaccine entrepreneur who sells dietary supplements and false cures as alternatives to vaccines.
- Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. – a long-standing anti-vaxxer; his group released a film in mid-March targeting members of the Black and Latino communities with tailored anti-vaccine messages.
- Ty and Charlene Bollinger – anti-vax entrepreneurs who market books and DVDs about vaccines, cancer, and COVID-19; promoted the conspiracy theory that Bill Gates plans to inject everyone with microchips as part of the vaccination program.
- Sherri Tenpenny – promotes Andrew Wakefield’s anti-COVID vaccine writings (Wakefield lost his medical license due to involvement in the Lancet MMR autism fraud.)
- Rizza Islam – targets African Americans and promotes the theories that Bill Gates planned the pandemic and that COVID vaccines make women infertile.
- Rashid Buttar – claims that COVID-19 tests contain living microorganisms and that the vaccine makes women infertile.
- Erin Elizabeth – partner to Joseph Mercola, claims vaccines are part of a medical industry plan to create “a chronically ill population” and promotes anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.
- Sayer Ji – runs an alternative health website promoting anti-vax positions and claims that the Pfizer vaccine has killed more people than COVID.
- Kelly Brogan – partner of Sayer Ji, claims “there is no such thing as the coronavirus because it’s not possible to prove that any given pathogen has induced death” and claims the pandemic was planned.
- Christiane Northrup – OBGYN who has promoted anti-vaccine conspiracies and claims that vaccines cause an 800% increase in chronic illness.
- Ben Tapper – chiropractor who claims that there is a “total lack of evidence that viruses can live outside the body.”
- Kevin Jenkins – anti-vaccine activist who claims that the black community is being targeted for experimentation with the vaccine.
I guess that’s what passes for balance, in a way, as the other 65% of public health misinformation (yeah, we’re 130% misinformed) is coming from the public health sector itself.
I kid. But not by much.
I’m a bit surprised that Jenny McCarthy isn’t on the list since she’s been an anti-vaxxer for quite some time. It’s a shame that they haven’t yet invented silicone brains…
“Anti-Vaxxer” is a very broad label. How about “vax sceptic”? All of my children received the vaccinations that were standard 20-30 years ago. I began to get sceptical when Guardisol was being pushed hard in my daughter’s teenage years. And I’m gobsmacked by the accelerated schedule of my grand daughter’s vaccinations. Based upon several interviews I’ve seen of Robert Kennedy Jr (pre-COVID) I think that describes him as well.
Please note: I know literally nothing about this subject, nor most of the people listed. But regarding this one:
Not saying that the vaccine has anything to do with making people sick, but just about every recommendation that has been made in my lifetime, starting with the deadly food pyramid, has not only be wrong, it’s been the exact opposite of what is correct.
Since when do Facebook and Twitter allow anti-vaccine posts? Or do they only censor posts critical of the Covid injections? 90% of pro-vaccine misinformation campaigns are spread on and funded by three entities, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. Maybe the other 10% include Ricochet.
Here’s one not on your list:
Dr Mike Yeadon, former CSO and VP, Allergy and Respiratory Research Head with Pfizer Global R&D and co-Founder of Ziarco Pharma Ltd, talks about his grave concerns about the Coronavirus jab. https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-fxdut-ff643b
EB – The folks that you cited are not un-qualified to give quality information. For example, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been on the front lines of vaccines and quality care for children for decades. He didn’t just start with COVID. His family has a history of illnesses, addictions and health concerns so he has dedicated his life to this field, and so have other members of his family on mental health.
Secondly, I was introduced to Dr. Mercola decades ago and became a casual follower. That is when I discovered I had a major allergy to soy that caused an irregular heartbeat and severe headaches. My primary care said you may need a pace maker – I was in my 40’s. Mercola had stories of symptoms of soy allergies and when I eliminated it, the symptoms cleared. This is just a small part of what he has contributed to my health and well being, and thousands worldwide. He is not impartial to good health.
I have had vaccinations my whole life, as a child and adult. The COVID vaccines are new – rushed, and experimental. Whether you are pro or con, is a choice, but I have done my own research, as well as have talked to people, and there are side effects – some serious. The tracking is questionable. Big tech is censoring (understatement) and those that deter on the vaccine are being tracked, and removed from social media. Then comes the vaccine passport – need I say more? Many within the medical and scientific communities are also sounding alarm/caution bells. You can be informed or ignore. For example:
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2021/05/15/planet-lockdown.aspx?ui=0b10245d59396dacb0f0af0ff78a12084fe3d3e6878dfccc168ac133cbe2726b&sd=20200212&cid_source=dnl&cid_medium=email&cid_content=art1HL&cid=20210515&mid=DM885052&rid=1158335193
Canada is going into a second lockdown (?)!! Have you looked into The Great Reset on the WEF forum? The big picture is there and unfolding, on many fronts. Then if you want to know who is really profiting from this pandemic and the shots – look deeper.
I haven’t read much of mercola, but I am aware of the site and that mercola says that it has received threats for its content. (bold mine.)
And though anything is possible, I find it hard to believe that they are anti-Semitic. I did a quick search on mercola for the words “Israel” and “Jew”, and all I got were.
and
It seems like the antithesis of an anti-Semitic site.
I know only a few of these writers, but without Mercola I would not have known, for instance, about the Eastern Virginia Medical School protocols for prevention and treatment of the virus. I don’t know what you mean by “false cures,” but check out the FLCCC Alliance, which developed out of the work of Dr. Paul Marik at Eastern Virginia, and has been fighting tooth and nail to get out the word on Ivermectin, which they naively believed would change the game. https://covid19criticalcare.com/. I wouldn’t have known, either, about Cleveland Clinic’s research showing that melatonin might be both a preventive and a cure, though hardly anyone took them up on it, or about the Spanish RCT that showed that heavy doses of vitamin D worked. As for RFK, Jr., his aim is to push the government to make vaccines safe, which has been a big problem ever since liability was removed from the pharmaceutical companies.
A word, too, about the term “anti-vaxxer.” It is generally meant as a slur, after which all intelligent and polite conversation on the subject is expected to end. In fact the subject of whether to vaccinate is a serious one and deserves serious reflection. I suggest avoiding the slur.
EB, your list of 12 should have been extended to 13 to include me. I will tell anyone who cares to listen that the Pfizer and Moderna gene therapies are unproven and may have long term immunologic effects of which we are now unaware. And I try to keep people I love from getting either of these. That being said, your post was about people putting content on line. Apart from Ricochet, I don’t do that.
But I am not a kook. For example, I insist that my infertility patients be immune to, or be vaccinated against, measles, mumps, chickenpox and Hep B.
One can be educated, considered, not an anti-vaxxer and still be a skeptic, or in my case an opponent, of widespread use of the current WuFlu “vaccines”. As Sandy notes, the decision to take experimental gene therapy to prevent a virus that kills a small subset of people is serious and deserves reflection.
I will also tell anyone who cares to listen that WuFlu was almost certainly invented by the Wuhan virology lab; see another of my posts for details.
https://ricochet.com/921521/a-year-later-its-still-viral-warfare/
In a nod to comment #3, I also am a great supporter of Gardasil. It has made abnormal Pap smears (and thus cervical cancer) quite rare and has also nearly wiped out genital warts, I haven’t seen a case in years.
The eradication of smallpox, largely by vaccination, the near eradication of polio (ditto) and the upcoming eradication of cervical cancer (ditto) are among the greatest accomplishments of our civilization.
A two-fer: Get vaxxED, and well, Biden.
Firstly, if you re-read what I posted above, I did not say that Mercola was an anti-Semite.
Secondly, it is against the law to market vitamins or dietary supplements as treatments or cures for any disease. Yet since last year, Mercola has claimed that at least 22 vitamins, supplements, and other products available for sale on his website can prevent, treat, or cure COVID-19 infection. The FDA sent a warning letter to him and as of this May, he has finally removed those claims from his website.
As an addition to my post: all of the opponents above of the vaccine don’t just post on FB and Instagram, etc. They have their own websites full of this stuff. So possibly, a case can be made that they foment more than 65% of the anti-vaccine messages on the internet.
Sorry I wasn’t more specific. I didn’t mean to appear to be criticizing your post. I was really responding to another comment.
And as for supplements and vitamins, I read a bit and make my own decisions. I do follow Pauling’s vitamin regimen. And I have started taking vitamin-D and zinc.
I don’t recall having read about anything in mercola about vitamins and minerals.
I do know that what I have read from mercola on covid, all proved to be true months later.
But I don’t regularly read the site.
I have no problem with the Gardisal vaccine. I had a big problem with the heavy handed tactics used on my then very young daughter and me that she get it
I’m sorry for that. I meant what I wrote; it amazes me that our civilization is able to prevent certain cancers with a vaccine. When Gardasil came out I owned an adult endocrinology/gynecology practice. We in the business knew that Gardasil’s data were wonderful. At the time the vaccine was only licensed to age 24 or so, so I had very few eligible patients. So when Gardasil did hit the offices, I sent a letter to every patient encouraging them to have their suitably-aged daughters vaccinated.
Doctor,
I still do not see the use of mRNA as gene therapy. mRNA will result in cells transiently expressing a protein, and will not be incorporated into the DNA. Because all mRNA is rapidly recycled, it’s going to be gone quickly. Some of the other vaccine concepts are closer to gene therapy, but not mRNA vaccines.
I’m with you on Wuhan Institute. It was believable from the get-go – the media tried to link it with claims of deliberate release of a bioweapon. I’ve heard lots of bad stuff about their safety record, and totalitarian countries suck at safety – see Chernobyl and the toxic waste sites of the Warsaw Pact. They played games with biosafety and biosecurity, and we all paid for their arrogant stupidity.
Great comment. mRNA is genetic material being used as a preventive therapy. I call it “gene therapy” for the shock value of that term, as opposed to “vaccination” What worries me is the part about “transiently expressing a protein” against which the patient makes an immune response. God only knows what other proteins may trigger that response a year or two or twenty hence. That is my concern.
The Wuhan Institute stuff is a hands-down, no contest conclusion. You want evidence of China’s attitude towards safety as a civic virtue? Look at how they handle spent rocket parts.
I often use that line when I don’t have anything better to say. It fits so many situations.
So, just one thing, since I basically don’t know anything.
Anyone know what to make of the concerns of Dr. McCullough here? Is it really true that the FDA typically kills a new product at around 50 reported deaths, even if causality is not yet established? Is this rebuttal as good as I tentatively think it is?
All this post is is a giant, steaming pile of ad hominem.
No, @cm, it’s not.
Do you think that:
* Bill Gates planned the pandemic, * that COVID-19 tests contain living microorganisms, * that there is a medical industry plan to create “a chronically-ill population,” * that the Pfizer vaccine has killed more people than COVID, * that “it’s not possible to prove that any given pathogen has induced death,” * that there is a “total lack of evidence that viruses can live outside the body,” * that the black community is being targeted for experimentation with the vaccine, and * that Bill Gates plans to inject everyone with microchips as part of the vaccination program?
As for Mercola – he was making money for over a year by selling various things he claimed would cure COVID – which is illegal. And Robert Kennedy’s skirts aren’t clean. Many of the claims he has made over the years have been debunked and he has cynically targeted minorities with his anti-vaccine claims.
These are positions that the “12” have publicly taken. It’s not ad hominem to point this out.
Bill Gates alone? No. I’m open to the possibilities given the war gaming that was going on.
Micro organisms in tests? No. Absurdly high cycles? Yes.
Medical industry invested in sick people? Why yes. That’s not as absurd as you think it is. We have dozens of cases of people not wanting problems fixed because it costs them their livelihoods, so they either (a) roadblock or (b) create problems. Is the medical industry populated with people who aren’t human? I’m pretty certain calling them “angels” was metaphorical, not literal.
Vaccine killed more people than Covid? No. That doesn’t change the fact the risks are different for me or my kids than they are for an 80 year old. Or do you think my kids are just as likely to die of Covid as the 80 year old? Or do you think unknown long term effects of the vaccine are the same for the 80 year old as they would be for a 12 year old 20 years from now?
The rest I don’t have time for. I have a kid to take to school. Covid is not as dangerous as it was made to be. There were other therapeutics available to treat. It isn’t stupidity or brainwashing that leads to caution in medical intervention. And people are capable of evil.
Has EB said otherwise on these points? I don’t think this sort of rational, informed critique of vaccine policy or rational, informed weighing of pros/cons was the target of the post.
Her entire schtick here on vaccines lately has been to mischaracterize vaccine skepticism as the byproduct of charlatan grifters and skeptics are too stupid to know better. She conflates skepticism with anti-vaccine and she constantly attacks the source (or assumed sources) instead of the arguments presented.
By claiming all vaccine skepticism can be traced to these guys and then assassinating their characters, she seems to think she’s won a victory here.
So it’s an implied ad hominem attack on vaccine critics not mentioned in the post?
I don’t think it’s implied at all. She is discrediting supposed sources of vaccine skepticism instead of dealing with the actual arguments presented by vaccine skeptics.
Then there’s that minor detail of both Gates and Fauci being stockholders in the pharma companies making the vaccine, and Fauci was financing the lab to continue it’s gain of function research after it was defunded by Trump. Senator Rand Paul has been pressing Fauci who denies this, and then says ‘but if it were doing gain of function research, it was because the WHO issued it (!?). It never passed the smell test! The pandemic began in the town with the lab doing this – !
EB:
There was one more that somehow got deleted:
13. Eddie Farnbarger: Claims that unidentified studies, suppressed by Tony Fauci, show that the vaccines make cicada flatulence lethal for many people, and that the Fed should stimulate the economy by creating more money.
I haven’t claimed that “all skepticism” can be traced to these people. I’m sure there are more skeptics out there, just not as prolific. They assassinated their own characters by the ridiculous claims they are making. And by making money off their claims.
“The rest I don’t have time for.” Right.
So if you had time, you would defend these claims:
* that “it’s not possible to prove that any given pathogen has induced death,” * that there is a “total lack of evidence that viruses can live outside the body,” * that the black community is being targeted for experimentation with the vaccine, & * that Bill Gates plans to inject everyone with microchips as part of the vaccination program.