PolitiFact interviews Dr. Fauci

United Facts of America: a festival of fact-checking

This week:  Fauci diagnoses misinformation … Harris uses mystery stat on corruption … Nikki Haley did not "whitewash" her name … Beware hoax info about virus "shedding" … CNN's Brian Stelter and The Bulwark's Charlie Sykes praise fact-checking A weekly note from the editor-in-chief of    Presented by:  (PolitiFact) Fauci reflects on the pandemic's misinformation in interview with PolitiFact Even after working as the director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for 37 years under seven presidents, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Tuesday he never could have anticipated the level of misinformation that has arisen from the pandemic.  "I've never seen anything begin to approach … the divisiveness that we're seeing, but also the distortion of reality," Fauci said. "There's so much distortion of reality and complete misinformation out there that, you know, if it wasn't so serious and have such a negative impact, it would almost be funny. But it's not funny." His remarks came this week as part of an interview on coronavirus misinformation with PolitiFact managing editor Katie Sanders for the United Facts of America: A Festival of Fact-Checking. The virtual conference — held May 10 to May 13 by PolitiFact and the Poynter Institute — brought together fact-checkers, journalists, health care professionals and technology leaders for discussions about the importance of facts in a free society.  Of the countless false claims of the past year, the theories that certain interventions could cure COVID-19 and the claims that he personally was involved with the start of the pandemic have stood out the most, Fauci said. Earlier in the pandemic, people without any medical experience, including former President Donald Trump, championed malaria drug hydroxychloroquine as a potential cure for the disease. Fauci often had to correct these claims, putting him at odds with the White House. That was when he knew misinformation would become a major problem in the pandemic.  "Out of necessity and the maintenance of my own integrity, I had to come out and disagree with some of the things that President Trump said," Fauci said, citing the hydroxychloroquine incident, as well as the time when Trump claimed the virus would disappear soon. "Then it became very clear that the attacks on me were getting more and more and more, and then the conspiracy theories started to come in." Though the situation was "very stressful," Fauci said he never thought about quitting because he knew he was performing an important function.  Fauci also has spoken out against false claims perpetuated by public figures like Fox News host Tucker Carlson and comedian and podcaster Joe Rogan. Hours before his interview with PolitiFact, Fauci challenged a false claim by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) that the National Institutes of Health had funded risky virus research in Wuhan. Fauci reiterated his stance during the interview, calling Paul's claim "preposterous."   Generally, though, Fauci said he avoids confrontations because they're "distracting" and responds to false claims when they interfere with public health goals.   "When someone makes a statement that is, you know, egregiously incorrect and would actually counter the things that I and my public health colleagues are trying to do, then you feel it's almost your obligation to publicly correct it," Fauci said. "But I certainly don't feel like I have to be the corrector of all the falseness out there." Fauci said the past year has shown that the U.S. needs to build up its local public health systems and work more closely with other countries to prepare for future pandemics.   "As a rich nation, we do have the moral responsibility to make sure that other countries that are less fortunate than we, that they get the opportunity to get interventions, be they anti-HIV drugs, which we did with PEPFAR (The U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), or it's vaccines, which hopefully we'll do now," Fauci said. Those vaccines are key to controlling the pandemic, Fauci said. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 58.5% of U.S. adults have received at least one vaccination. President Joe Biden has set a goal for the U.S. to reach 70% by July 4.  "I do believe by July, if we do get ... that number 70% of adults getting at least one vaccine, that the level of infection will be low enough that you're going to see a substantial pulling back on the rigidity of the recommendations and guidelines from the CDC," Fauci said. "I'm almost certain that that's going to happen." Watch PolitiFact's interview with Fauci via YouTube. >>> — Angela Fu for the Poynter Institute Share Tweet Forward Filter bubbles be gone! SmartNews and PolitiFact team up to get news consumers the facts PolitiFact now has its own channel on SmartNews, a news app for your phone. Rich Jaroslovky of Smart News said the platform stands out by bringing readers a mix of news that aims to combat filter bubbles and give people a range of perspectives on the issues of the day. SmartNews believes that presenting a wider range of content actually keeps people more engaged over time. Read a Q&A with Jaroslovky and PolitiFact Audience Engagement Editor Josie Hollingsworth. >>> The Latest from PolitiFact Harris wrong on cost of corruption. "Around the world, we know that corruption inhibits shared prosperity. In fact, the global cost of corruption is as much as 5% of the world's GDP," said Vice President Kamala Harris at a conference on the Americas. Harris cited a figure that's been popularly used by reputable organizations for more than a decade. But the methodology for the assessment is unknown. One expert said that the estimate is plausible, but there is no data to confirm it. Another said the figure shouldn't be used. We rated the claim False. Tucker Carlson's misleading claim about deaths after COVID-19 vaccine. "Between late December of 2020 and last month, a total of 3,362 people apparently died after getting the COVID vaccine in the United States — 3,362," Carlson told his viewers May 5. "That's an average of roughly 30 people every day." We rated this False. Carlson was citing data from the federal Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System database, or VAERS. The VAERS system is open to anyone, and reports to it are not verified, making it a breeding ground for misinformation about vaccine safety. People can die after getting vaccinated for any number of reasons unrelated to the vaccine. The CDC analyzed the death reports submitted to VAERS through May 3 and concluded that there's no causal link to COVID-19 vaccines. Attacks on Nikki Haley's name are Pants on Fire! Viral messages attacking Nikki Haley said she "whitewashed" her name because she thought it "would give her a better chance than the name Nimrata Randhawa." We rated that Pants on Fire! Nikki Haley goes by her middle name, a Punjabi term of endearment for the youngest girl in a family.  She has gone by that name since birth, and a newspaper article from when she was 12 calls her "Nikki Randhawa," her maiden name. Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy. We need your help   Yes, I support PolitiFact! Make a tax-deductible donation to make this message go away. Debunking the anti-vaccine hoax about 'vaccine shedding' The notion that the COVID-19 vaccines can be "shed" like the coronavirus itself is a conspiracy theory that has been created to weaken trust in vaccines, according to medical experts. The script-flipping narrative not only dissuades people from getting the vaccine, but also seeks to isolate or punish those who have. The misinformation has taken a hold anyway. On Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, users shared warnings that serious side effects, including menstrual irregularities and infertility, can come from contact with vaccinated people. PolitiFact talked to medical experts about what emerged in April as a prevailing narrative within the anti-vaccine community. The claims about "vaccine shedding" are not only false, but also biologically impossible given the construction of the COVID-19 vaccines. Our findings:  Medical experts and the CDC said it's not biologically possible for the COVID-19 vaccine to "shed" or affect unvaccinated people, despite what anti-vaccine activists claim. The misinformation about "vaccine shedding" has had a real-world impact. One Miami private school recently instructed immunized teachers to stay away from students, citing the baseless claim that unvaccinated people can experience menstrual irregularities and other reproductive harm simply from interacting with vaccinated people. There is no evidence that the COVID-19 vaccines cause fertility or menstruation problems in people who get them, let alone in their close contacts, experts said. Read more in our extended report. >>> — Bill McCarthy Brian Stelter and Charlie Sykes at United Facts of America In the wake of Donald Trump's presidency, disinformation continues to deceive some Americans and threaten democracy, but most citizens still seek the truth and fact-checkers are offering a crucial public service, two experts said this week at United Facts of America: A Festival of Fact-Checking. "I think the vast majority of Americans saw through Trump's lies, they see through most of the nonsense that we hear from the Tucker Carlsons of the world," said Brian Stelter, CNN's chief media correspondent, referring to the Fox News talk show host. "They also see through some of the left-wing nonsense that you all fact-check. Most people do have a good B.S. detector. Clearly not all, but I think most people do." He added: "I think (fact-checkers) ran the equivalent of multiple marathons in the past few years. I think that those marathons have won over a lot of supporters and people are cheering on this movement and wanting more of it." Charles Sykes, founder and editor-at-large of The Bulwark, a conservative political analysis website, also called for more fact-checking. "I think that when it comes to issues like (COVID-19 vaccines), to be able to put in the hands of news consumers valuable, accurate information, is an incredibly important thing right now," he said. Sykes, an MSNBC contributor and former longtime radio talk show host in Milwaukee, described the COVID-19 pandemic as a singularly important time in the spreading of falsehoods. "When you tell the story of this period, this is going to be the capstone of it. And it led to what? More than a half-million Americans dying," said Sykes, who has been a critic of PolitiFact.   "And yet even with that, you have the Fox News hosts and many others and United States senators who are lying about all of this. And I think that this is one of those moments when you want to be aggressive in saying, this person is lying, this person is being radically reckless and irresponsible, that there is a depraved indifference to human life, this would be it." Read more from the festival's first day. >>> — Tom Kertscher Quick links to more fact-checks & reports  Watch Georgia elections official Gabriel Sterling talk about fighting misinformation in the 2020 election at the United Facts of America festival (via YouTube)   What the Oversight Board's action on Trump's ban means for fact-checking on Facebook   No, the Census Bureau didn't confirm a problem with the 2020 election results   CO2 output from making an electric car battery isn't equal to driving a gasoline car for 8 years   Fact-checking Biden's claim about hunger in America 'sharply' dropping Do you smell smoke?  Here's your Pants on Fire fact-check of the week:  No truth to the claim that Arizona audit found Trump up by 250,000 votes The controversial audit isn't even done yet. See what else we've rated Pants on Fire this week.  Have questions or ideas for our coverage? Send me an email at holan@politifact.com. Put "Fact-checking" in the subject line. Thanks for reading! Angie Drobnic Holan  PolitiFact Editor-in-Chief  Send this link to your friends so they can sign up for this email! Copyright © 2021 PolitiFact, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in at our website, attended one of our events, or communicated with us. Our mailing address is: PolitiFact 801 3rd St S 33701 St. Petersburg, FL 33701 Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can *update your preferences or *unsubscribe from this list. Subscription Information This email was sent to Webmaster220 Bible Study Blog *the blog owner has deleted the hyperlink intentionally