How
Misinformation
Pays
The economics of a health care hoax site
ONLINEPeriscope
18 NEWSWEEK.COM
“At least 138 sites in the
U.S. and Europe are
publishing false claims.”the coronavirus crisis has
highlighted the popularity
of the hundreds of sites that pub-
lish health care hoaxes and misin-
formation regularly. At least 138
such sites in the U.S., U.K., France,
Germany and Italy are publishing
false claims about the coronavirus,
NewsGuard’s Coronavirus Misinfor-
mation Tracking Center has found.
But these sites don’t promote false-
hoods and fake “cures” just for the
thrill of it. They’re peddling mis-
information for profit, and there’s
a lot of money to be
made from it.
NewsGuard found
eight American web-
sites—including the
NaturalNews.com
network, which has
54 domains such as
FactCheck.news—that promote
their own products as cures or
remedies for the novel coronavirus.
The harmless-sounding HealthIm-
pactNews.com advertises coconut
oil in an article that claims the
oil destroys coronavirus. Natu-
ralHealth365.com is selling air
fresheners to fight coronavirus.
Mercola.com says an antioxidant
called quercetin will boost readers’
immune systems. And you can buy
it on the site.
Alex Jones’ InfoWars is seizing onthe panic with a huge ad that reads
“OTHERS ARE SOLD OUT!” and offers
a four-week supply of “Patriot Food
Supply.” Jones—the conspiracy the-
orist known for his persistent claim
that the Sandy Hook shooting never
happened—also sells colloidal (liq-
uid) silver, which the FDA warns can
permanently turn humans’ skin, nails
and gums grayish-blue. This and all of
Jones’ sketchy health products, includ-
ing a toothpaste he says can cure the
virus, are available on Amazon, too.
NaturalNews.com’s 54 domains
(with deceptive names
like WashingtonPosted.
news and Pandemic.
news) are posting bla-
tantly false, harmful
content (one recent
story accused Sacra-
mento County officials
of trying purposely to spread the
disease) aimed at scaring readers—
and selling “Military-Grade” masks
in ads alongside these articles.
In Germany, France and Italy,
this kind of marketing happens lessBYGABBY DEUTCH
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