Welp.
Twitter is now promoting a Reuters story in its “What’s Happening” section on the use of ivermectin as a potential treatment for Covid:
Here’s the actual article:
Ivermectin shows ‘antiviral effect’ against COVID, Japanese company says https://t.co/Krr9HhPC95 pic.twitter.com/G2aZ8Unr1e
— Reuters World (@ReutersWorld) January 31, 2022
So, *now* we can discuss it without fear of getting banned?
Whispers: The alleged "misinformation" is coming from INSIDE THE HOUSE.https://t.co/I03GZHlb3V
— Mary Katharine Ham (@mkhammer) February 1, 2022
Oh well!
Studying stuff is good. Talking about it is fine!
— Mary Katharine Ham (@mkhammer) February 1, 2022
“Horse paste” Twitter hardest hit:
This is how the narrative shifts. They'll memory hole every instance of CNN calling it "horse paste" in the not too distant future. https://t.co/FPXSb4VDQi
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) February 1, 2022
But what’s even worse for Twitter is that nothing has really changed and what’s going on is that Twitter is capitalizing off of a Reuters article that went viral before it was corrected:
Reuters really screwed up just now, wrongly reporting that a Phase III clinical trial showed Ivermectin was effective against Omicron, and then correcting the story after damage was already done. pic.twitter.com/blZ3BsWBS2
— Arieh Kovler (@ariehkovler) January 31, 2022
Reuters is being accused of misreading the press release:
What happened? Well, Japanese pharma company IS conducting a phase III human trial of Ivermectin as a Covid treatment. We've known that for months. And today, Kowa published a press release claiming Ivermectin has an "antiviral effect" against Omicron. pic.twitter.com/c7ECgG2tXO
— Arieh Kovler (@ariehkovler) January 31, 2022
But Kowa devoted most of their press release to the still-ongoing Phase III human trial they're doing, so a careless reader can confuse what they were claiming. Like Reuters did.
— Arieh Kovler (@ariehkovler) January 31, 2022
And blame Twitter, too:
I'm blaming Reuters here more than Kowa because companies are always trying to obfuscate and over-imply in press releases. Trust me, I write them sometimes.
— Arieh Kovler (@ariehkovler) January 31, 2022
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