Cross-examining the lab-leak theorists
Quote:
Vanity Fair and ProPublica’s report last week that the Wuhan Institute of Virology was coping with an unspecified emergency around the time the coronavirus emerged has renewed debate among Americans about the lab-leak theory of the pandemic.
The Vanity Fair and ProPublica story paints a picture of a mysterious biosafety incident at the lab shortly before people started becoming infected with the new virus.
Citing translations by Toy Reid, a State Department political officer covering China who reviewed documents from the Wuhan Institute of Virology’s website, the article says Chinese officials were grappling with “an acute safety emergency” the month before a coronavirus outbreak began in Wuhan.
That suggests the virus may have come from a lab accident, in line with the conclusion drawn by Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Republicans, who provided the documents to the journalists.
The Wall Street Journal has previously reported that U.S. intelligence operatives believe three workers at the virology institute sought hospital care around the time Reid said the emergency occurred.
Vanity Fair investigative reporter Katherine Eban and ProPublica computational journalist Jeff Kao said they checked Reid’s translations with experts in Chinese Communist Party communications. But Reid made mistakes, native speakers have since pointed out, according to an L.A. Times business columnist and Semafor media reporter, casting doubt on the story.
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