Far-right media target Anthony Fauci's daughter with conspiracy theory about her employment
Dr. Fauci has reported that both he and his daughters are receiving death threats and being harassed
WRITTEN BY TIMOTHY JOHNSON
RESEARCH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM KAYLA GOGARTY
PUBLISHED 08/05/20 6:08 PM EDT
Far-right media figures are targeting one of Dr. Anthony Faucis daughters with a conspiracy theory that claims there is something untoward about her reported employment with Twitter. Misogynist far-right media figure Patrick Howley took credit for first reporting her employment, and Dr. Fauci has said that he and his daughters have been receiving death threats over his work on the coronavirus pandemic. Attacks on the daughter have been promoted on Alex Jones Infowars network and are circulating on far-right message board 8kun (which replaced the shuttered 8chan message board).
During an August 5 appearance on CNN, Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, disclosed that he is getting death threats for me and my family, and harassing my daughters to the point where I have to get security. Media Matters is not naming any of Faucis family members in light of these reported threats.
Link to tweet
Howley took credit for reporting on the daughters employment in a May 16 tweet and accompanying article at conspiracy theory website National File. (Her employment had been previously reported on at other outlets, but Howleys article appears to have spurred far-right figures to start spreading conspiracy theories about her.) Howleys article baselessly suggested a connection between the daughters employment and Twitters supposed crackdown on so-called misinformation about the virus from truth-minded individuals who do not automatically accept what the experts like [Anthony] Fauci have to say.
Though Howleys article was published in May, it has received widespread attention in recent days, in part due to an Infowars episode that Media Matters reviewed. Tom Pappert, the head of National File and a guest host at Alex Jones Infowars outlet, promoted conspiracy theories about the daughter during the August 4 broadcast of the Infowars show War Room. Pappert suggested without evidence that the daughter might have some say over these decisions, what content gets to go on the platform and what content does not. Show host and far-right conspiracy theorist Owen Shroyer attacked Fauci for his role on the White House coronavirus task force and baselessly claimed that his daughter is involved at Twitter censoring doctors who dare go against Fauci and what hes saying. A picture of the daughter was displayed during the segment.
More:
https://www.mediamatters.org/coronavirus-covid-19/far-right-media-target-anthony-faucis-daughter-conspiracy-theory-about-her
SheltieLover
(57,073 posts)Lock them up!
grumpyduck
(6,198 posts)assholes who can dish it out but can't take it.
It's okay when they do it, but not okay when someone does it them.
riversedge
(69,715 posts)Iliyah
(25,111 posts)They need to be identified and arrested and charged.
DBoon
(22,285 posts)Fauci's daughter is a private individual. He is defaming her and inviting harassment.
This needs to stop.