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TomCADem

(17,378 posts)
Sun Aug 30, 2020, 11:13 PM Aug 2020

Twitter removes QAnon supporter's false claim about coronavirus death statistics that Trump

Source: MSN/CNN

Twitter on Sunday took down a tweet containing a false claim about coronavirus death statistics that was made by a supporter of the baseless QAnon conspiracy theory -- a post that President Donald Trump had retweeted earlier in the day.

The tweet -- which has been replaced with a message saying, "This Tweet is no longer available because it violated the Twitter Rules -- from "Mel Q," copied from someone else's Facebook post, claimed that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had "quietly" updated its numbers "to admit that only 6%" of people listed as coronavirus deaths "actually died from Covid," since "the other 94% had 2-3 other serious illnesses." That's not what the CDC said.

As of Sunday at 4 p.m. ET, Twitter had not removed a second tweet, also retweeted by the President on Sunday, that spread the same false claim. The second tweet, by Trump campaign adviser Jenna Ellis, linked to an article on the right-wing website Gateway Pundit that was based on the QAnon supporter's tweet.

* * *
The CDC's latest regular update to a public statistics page on the pandemic -- there was nothing especially "quiet" about it -- said that for 6% of the deaths included in its statistics, "Covid-19 was the only cause mentioned" on the deceased person's death certificate. That is not at all the same thing as saying only 6% of reported Covid-19 deaths "actually died" from Covid-19. It simply means that the other 94% were listed as having at least one additional factor contributing to their death.

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/twitter-removes-qanon-supporter-s-false-claim-about-coronavirus-death-statistics-that-trump-had-retweeted/ar-BB18wCf9?li=BBnba9O



In 2018, former FBI official warned about the threat of foreign actors amplifying conspiracies to create unrest. Instead of taking action, Trump is jumping on the bandwagon of misinformation.

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DallasNE

(7,392 posts)
3. Not Enough
Mon Aug 31, 2020, 12:58 AM
Aug 2020

Taking down an occasional Tweet when there are untold thousands posted on a daily basis.

Just today Trump posted dozens of Tweets and nearly everyone of them was at least partially false. It is a fools errand to spend the time inspecting Tweets for accuracy with repeat violators. Block them and if they persist keep making the block last longer. We can't have the President of the United States encouraging his followers to perform mayhem. Indeed, law enforcement should be going after him, memo or no memo. Twitter and Facebook are contributing to the destruction of America by empowering its destruction by POTUS. Just stop it.

Sapient Donkey

(1,568 posts)
4. I think the twitter algorithm got my account mixed up on that and disabled it
Mon Aug 31, 2020, 01:27 AM
Aug 2020

I was actually arguing against some QANON idiocy, but I don't think it was able to detect the difference. Oh well.

Cicada

(4,533 posts)
5. Deaths from all causes is up 19% this year
Mon Aug 31, 2020, 01:48 AM
Aug 2020

Compared to the average for the past 5 years deaths are up 19% in the US.

Those other 94% factors were here in every one of the other five years.

So what else might be causing the 19% increase in total deaths? It isn’t the 94% factors, they have always been here.

And it isn’t us cicadas Popping up after hiding underground during the last five years.

Hey, could it be covid19?

oldsoftie

(12,410 posts)
10. THANK YOU!! I've been wondering the same. And Facebook too.
Mon Aug 31, 2020, 08:40 AM
Aug 2020

FB will pop u quick for posting things deemed "inappropriate" so why not just block these idiots & KEEP blocking them?

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