>>> THE DISINFORMATION BEING SPREAD IS HAVING A DEVASTATING
EFFECT ON HOSPITALS ACROSS THE
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. A DOCTOR IN NEW YORK SAYING
DEALING WITH CONSPIRACY THEORIES
IS THE SECOND MOST PAINFUL THING
I HAD TO DEAL WITH OTHER THAN
SEPARATION OF FAMILIES FROM A
LOVED ONE.
LOVED ONE. THE DOCTORS STOPPED ENGAGING
WITH TROLLS ON FACEBOOK WHO
CLAIM THE HOSPITALS ARE EMPTY
AND THE VIRUS IS PART OF A PLOT
TO VACCINATE OR MICRO CHIP THE
U.S.
U.S. OTHERS ARE CALLING ON SOCIAL
MEDIA TO DO MORE TO STOP THE
DISINFO FORFORMATION FROM SPREAD
IN THE COVID CASE, THEY HAVE
TRULY HAVE BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS.
NBC REPORTER WHO WROTE ABOUT
THIS, BEN COLLINS JOINS ME NOW.
BEN WHO MOTIVATED YOU TO DO THIS
PIECE?
PIECE? PIECE?
PIECE? >> A GUY REACHED OUT TO ME AND
SAID I’M HAVING A HARD TIME
DEALING WITH THIS.
A DOCTOR CAME TO ME IN BLUNT
TERMS AND SAID I DON’T KNOW HOW
TO DEAL WITH THIS.
HE WAS IN AN ARGUMENT WITH
SEVERAL PEOPLE ON FACEBOOK WHO
SAID HE WASN’T A REAL DOCTOR AND
HOSPITALS ARE EMPTY.
HE SAID I HAVE 200 PEOPLE IN MY
ICU.
ICU. THIS IS HAPPENING.
HE WENT OUTSIDE AND HEARD THE
CHEER AT 7:00 WE HEAR EVERY DAY
IN NEW YORK CITY AND BROKE DOWN
AND CRIED BECAUSE HE DIDN’T KNOW
WHAT REALITY WAS AT THIS POINT.
HE DIDN’T KNOW.
HE HAD NO REAL IDEA.
THAT’S THE LARGER PROBLEM HERE
IS THAT WE HAVE THIS, YOU KNOW,
WE HAVE THESE SYSTEMS SET UP
THAT REWARD THESE BAD GUYS GOING
AFTER THESE DOCTORS.
THERE IS NO REAL WAY TO STOP
THIS.
THIS. THE BAD GUYS HAVE RIGGED THE
SYSTEM TO MAKE IT SO THOSE
MESSAGES THAT THEY USE TO PUSH
THINGS LIKE SUPPLEMENTS OR JUST
POLITICAL MESSAGES, THOSE GO TO
THE TOP.
THE TOP. THOSE GO TO THE DOCTORS WHEN
THEY GO HOME FROM TOUGH SHIFTS
AND DON’T SEE THE REWARDS YOU’D
SEE BECAUSE FACEBOOK AND TWITTER
AND YOUTUBE REWARD ENGAGEMENT
AND HOSTILITY.
AND HOSTILITY. >> SO WHAT THEY’RE REWARDING ARE
INSANE BASELESS CONSPIRACY
THEORIES THAT HAVE SORT OF TAKEN
ROOT THAT DOCTORS COMING HOME
FROM WATCHING PATIENTS DIE
TRYING TO FIGHT THE DID’ AND
COME --
COME -- DISEASE AND COMING HOME TO
SOCIAL MEDIA TELLING THEM THE
WHOLE THING WAS SOME PLOT BY
BILL GATES TO, YOU KNOW, IMPLANT
CHIPS IN PEOPLE OR DEPOPULATE
THE WORLD OR WHATEVER NONSENSE
IS GOING ON.
THOSE ARE HIGH RANKING, HIGH
ENGAGEMENT STORIES ACROSS
FACEBOOK AND OTHER PLATFORMS.
>> THIS MAKES SENSE.
WE’RE IN A TIME OF CHAOS WHERE
PEOPLE’S TRUST IN INSTITUTIONS
AND VARIOUS DIFFERENT THINGS HAS
GONE AWAY AND THEIR LIVELIHOODS
HAVE CHANGED, THE WAY THEY LIVE
THEIR LIVES HAS CHANGED.
INSTEAD OF EMBRACING THE
AMBIGUITY AND LOOKING FOR
ANSWERS THAT ARE REALISTIC, THEY
GO TO EASY ONES AND SIMPLE ONES,
THOSE ARE THINGS THEY CAN SEE.
IF WE TALK TO CONSPIRACY THEORY
RESEARCHERS, THEY CALL
CONSPIRACY THEORYISTS THE LAST
BELIEVERS.
BELIEVERS. THEY LOOK FOR BOOGIE MEN,
SOMEBODY LIKE BILL GATES WHO
EVERYONE KNOWS, RIGHT?
EVERYONE KNOWS BILL GATES.
IF THEY CAN SAY THAT HE DID THIS
AND EVERYONE CAN POINT TO HIM
AND SAY IF WE GET RID OF BILL
GATES, EVERYTHING IS FIXED.
EVERYTHING IS -- ALL OF THIS IS
OVER.
OVER. ALL THIS STAYING AT HOME IS
OVER.
OVER. BUT IT DOESN’T REALLY WORK LIKE
THAT.
THAT. WE KNOW THIS.
SCIENCE IS A LOT MORE
COMPLICATED THAN BILL GATES
DOING SOMETHING OR A 5 G TOWER
DOING SOMETHING AND THAT’S
SCARY.
SCARY. THESE BAD GUYS, THESE
TRADITIONAL CONSPIRACY THEORISTS
PRAYING ON PEOPLE AT HOME ARE
CREATING SMALL ARMIES AND THE
PEOPLE IN THE SMALL ARMIES DON’T
KNOW BUT THEY ARE REALLY HURTING
THESE DOCTORS.
THESE DOCTORS. >> WELL, AND THERE ARE REAL
PUBLIC HEALTH AFFECTS HERE.
THERE IS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE
PLATFORM.
PLATFORM. THERE IS A LETTER DOZENS OF
DOCTORS SIGNED ON TO CALLING
FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM AND
TWITTER TO DETOX THE ALGORITHM
THAT DECIDE WHAT PEOPLE SAY AND
CORRECT THE RECORD ON HEALTH
INFORMATION.
INFORMATION. HOW HAVE THESE PLATFORMS
APPROACHED THIS?
APPROACHED THIS? HOW HAVE THEY DEALT WITH THIS?
THEY HAVE TAKEN SOME STEPS.
THE PROBLEM IS THESE THINGS GO
VIRILE AND REIGN IT BACK IN.
TODAY THERE WAS A VIDEO ON
YOUTUBE OR FACEBOOK AND IF YOU
HAVE SOMEONE IN YOUR LIFE WHO IS
CHRONICALLY ADDICTED TO YOUTUBE
OR FACEBOOK BRIAN IS THEAIN, THE
HAVE SEEN THIS VIDEO SAYING
DON’T WEAR YOUR MASK, IT GIVES
YOU CORONAVIRUS.
YOU CORONAVIRUS. TERRIBLE STUFF YOU REALLY --
THAT ISN’T POSSIBLE TO BE TRUE.
I KNOW.
I KNOW. ANOTHER ISSUE IS THIS STUFF GOES
VIRAL FIRST AND THEN THEY
CORRECT IT.
CORRECT IT. WHAT WE NEED IS ACTOR BASED
ENFORCEMENT.
ENFORCEMENT. PEOPLE THAT KNOW NONE OF THESE
PEOPLE PUSHING THAT VIDEO ARE
NEW HERE.
NEW HERE. THEY ARE PEOPLE CONSTANTS IN
THESE ANTI VACCINE COMMUNITIES
AND BEEN HERE FOR YEARS AND
YEARS.
YEARS. THEY ARE JUST PACKAGING THIS
STUFF TOGETHER FOR A CORONAVIRUS
THEME AND SINCE IT GOES AROUND
THAT CORONAVIRUS AND FEELS NEW,
THEY CAN PUSH IT ON FACEBOOK AND
YOUTUBE.
YOUTUBE. >> BEN COLLINS WHO DID SOME
GREAT REPORTING ON THIS FOR US