William B. Crews was especially focused on undermining efforts to persuade the public to wear masks.
William B. Crews was especially focused on undermining efforts to persuade the public to wear masks.
This Virus Misinformation Was Coming From Inside the N.I.H.
This Virus Misinformation Was Coming From Inside the N.I.H.
This Virus Misinformation Was Coming From Inside the N.I.H.
The assertions — including that wearing a mask had “little to no medical value” — were dangerous in the middle of a deadly pandemic no matter where they came from.
But they were especially remarkable given the source →
This Virus Misinformation Was Coming From Inside the N.I.H.
On Monday, William B. Crews, a public affairs officer at the National Institutes of Health, retired as The Daily Beast was preparing to expose his clandestine efforts to spread misinformation.
His posts, on the right-wing website RedState, took on some of the targets that the agency was trying to beat back.
This Virus Misinformation Was Coming From Inside the N.I.H.
One of his favorite topics: Undermining efforts to get people to wear masks.
In one post, Crews said that “math tells you the diameter of the virus is orders of magnitude smaller than the smallest opening between mask fibers.”
Numerous studies have shown that the virus travels within particles and respiratory droplets that masks can catch.
He also complained about lockdowns and social distancing rules.
This Virus Misinformation Was Coming From Inside the N.I.H.
At one point, Crews pointed to Sweden, which initially had a low death rate despite minimal regulations. Sweden eventually went through a dramatic surge in deaths.
This Virus Misinformation Was Coming From Inside the N.I.H.
Crews also directly attacked his boss, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and a favorite target of right-wing disinformation artists.
This Virus Misinformation Was Coming From Inside the N.I.H.
Crews did not respond to requests for comment.
Erick Erickson, who served as the editor in chief of RedState for 10 years, said on Twitter that while he disagreed with Mr. Crews’ takes on the pandemic, his work had nonetheless helped the site boost its readership significantly.
“He has grown RedState’s traffic far more than I ever did,” Erickson wrote.
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