Yan’s work, which was posted to the scientific research repository Zenodo without any review on Sept. 14, exploded on Twitter, YouTube and far-right websites with the help of such conservative influencers as Republican strategist Stephen K. Bannon, who repeatedly pushed it on his online show “War Room: Pandemic,” according to a report published Friday by Harvard researchers studying media manipulation. Yan expanded her claims, on Oct. 8, to blame the Chinese government explicitly for developing the coronavirus as a “bioweapon.”Yan’s paper on Zenodo — despite several blistering scientific critiques and widespread news coverage of its alleged flaws — now has been viewed more than 1 million times, probably making it the most widely read research on the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Harvard misinformation researchers. They concluded that online scientific sites are vulnerable to what they called “cloaked science,” efforts to give dubious work “the veneer of scientific legitimacy.”https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/02/12/china-covid-misinformation-li-meng-yan/
Dr. Yan Limeng wanted to remain anonymous. As early as mid-July this year, Yan Limeng, who was doing research in Hong Kong, had heard rumors that a dangerous new virus had emerged in mainland China, and the government was downplaying it. Out of concerns about personal safety and career, she expressed her willingness to help her favorite Chinese YouTube host, who is known for criticizing the Chinese government.