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Reddit banned Covid sleuth's account in 2020 for posting nature paper critique

haltingproblem 5y ago
This snipped buried in the Newsweek article stood out (for me): One important piece was an extensive Medium post by the Canadian longevity entrepreneur Yuri Deigin that discussed RaTG13, a virus Shi Zhengli had revealed to the world in a February 3 paper in the journal Nature. In that paper, Shi presented the first extensive analysis of SARS-CoV-2, which had seemed to come from nowhere—the virus was unlike any that had been seen before, including the first SARS, which had killed 774 people from 2002 to 2004. In her paper, however, Shi also introduced RaTG13, a virus that is similar in genetic makeup to SARS-CoV-2, making it the only known close relative at the time. The paper was vague about where RaTG13 had come from. It didn't say exactly where or when RaTG13 had been found, just that it had previously been detected in a bat in Yunnan Province, in southern China. The paper aroused Deigin's suspicions. He wondered if SARS-CoV-2 might have emerged through some genetic mixing and matching from a lab working with RaTG13 or related viruses. His post was cogent and comprehensive. The Seeker posted Deigin's theory on Reddit, which promptly suspended his account permanently.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
WalterGR 5y ago
Actual headline: "Exclusive: How Amateur Sleuths Broke the Wuhan Lab Story and Embarrassed the Media" (Also previously submitted by georgecmu and dsr12, but admittedly their submissions didn't get traction. Try, try again!)
- matheweis 5y ago
  Personally I am in favor of this editorialized title. The lab leak hypothesis has been discussed a great deal here recently, I think it makes sense that yet another article covering the background wouldn’t surface. On the other hand, Reddit banning what now seems to be an important discussion, is a kind of newish and interesting part of the story - especially as it intersects with the broader topic of bans etc as it applies to many companies (see the tank man discussion here yesterday, for example). The relevant bit of the story (quoted my haltingproblem here), was a new bit of information and the part that seems worth the discussion. Did reddit make the right call then, or did they suppress an important conversation?
olivetnews 5y ago
Reminder that the Newsweek brand was purchased by a cult and is now used to launder conspiracy nonsense using peoples’ trust for the brand [0] 0: https://www.cjr.org/special_report/newsweek.php https://www.cjr.org/special_report/newsweek.php
- hansthehorse 5y ago
  Newsweek has been an independent company since 2018 when IBT spun it off.
- haltingproblem 5y ago
  If true, it makes sense why Newsweek broke the omerta of silence around the lab-leak theory. Cult or not, we should appreciate the value of media properties on the margins else we end up in a monoculture of everyone following the WaPo, NYT and the WSJ.
pasttense01 5y ago
"The Seeker posted Deigin's theory on Reddit, which promptly suspended his account permanently." Reddit is composed of tens of thousands of sub-reddits, each of which has its own moderators. I think it much more likely that one of the Covid sub-reddits banned Deigin--not Reddit as a whole.
- haltingproblem 5y ago
  The article clearly says that Reddit permanently suspended his account. Do you have sources to support the contrary?

This snipped buried in the Newsweek article stood out (for me): One important piece was an extensive Medium post by the Canadian longevity entrepreneur Yuri Deigin that discussed RaTG13, a virus Shi Zhengli had revealed to the world in a February 3 paper in the journal Nature. In that paper, Shi presented the first extensive analysis of SARS-CoV-2, which had seemed to come from nowhere—the virus was unlike any that had been seen before, including the first SARS, which had killed 774 people from 2002 to 2004. In her paper, however, Shi also introduced RaTG13, a virus that is similar in genetic makeup to SARS-CoV-2, making it the only known close relative at the time. The paper was vague about where RaTG13 had come from. It didn't say exactly where or when RaTG13 had been found, just that it had previously been detected in a bat in Yunnan Province, in southern China. The paper aroused Deigin's suspicions. He wondered if SARS-CoV-2 might have emerged through some genetic mixing and matching from a lab working with RaTG13 or related viruses. His post was cogent and comprehensive. The Seeker posted Deigin's theory on Reddit, which promptly suspended his account permanently.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

WalterGR 5y ago

Actual headline: "Exclusive: How Amateur Sleuths Broke the Wuhan Lab Story and Embarrassed the Media" (Also previously submitted by georgecmu and dsr12, but admittedly their submissions didn't get traction. Try, try again!)

matheweis 5y ago
Personally I am in favor of this editorialized title. The lab leak hypothesis has been discussed a great deal here recently, I think it makes sense that yet another article covering the background wouldn’t surface. On the other hand, Reddit banning what now seems to be an important discussion, is a kind of newish and interesting part of the story - especially as it intersects with the broader topic of bans etc as it applies to many companies (see the tank man discussion here yesterday, for example). The relevant bit of the story (quoted my haltingproblem here), was a new bit of information and the part that seems worth the discussion. Did reddit make the right call then, or did they suppress an important conversation?

olivetnews 5y ago

Reminder that the Newsweek brand was purchased by a cult and is now used to launder conspiracy nonsense using peoples’ trust for the brand [0] 0: https://www.cjr.org/special_report/newsweek.php https://www.cjr.org/special_report/newsweek.php

hansthehorse 5y ago
Newsweek has been an independent company since 2018 when IBT spun it off.
haltingproblem 5y ago
If true, it makes sense why Newsweek broke the omerta of silence around the lab-leak theory. Cult or not, we should appreciate the value of media properties on the margins else we end up in a monoculture of everyone following the WaPo, NYT and the WSJ.

pasttense01 5y ago

"The Seeker posted Deigin's theory on Reddit, which promptly suspended his account permanently." Reddit is composed of tens of thousands of sub-reddits, each of which has its own moderators. I think it much more likely that one of the Covid sub-reddits banned Deigin--not Reddit as a whole.

haltingproblem 5y ago
The article clearly says that Reddit permanently suspended his account. Do you have sources to support the contrary?