Dangerous misinformation during a Delta Variant community outbreak:
An Open Letter to the New Plymouth District Council from FACT (Fight Against Conspiracy Theories) regarding the misinformation spread by Councillor Anneka Carlson
Anti-misinformation campaigners call on NPDC to censure councillors who use their privileged platform to disseminate poorly sourced, incorrect or misleading information about public health measures that clearly oppose government advice.
FACT is an informal group of New Zealand academics and health professionals who are working against the spread of dangerous misinformation about COVID-19 and vaccines.
This letter supports the right of well-informed experts to contribute to the public health discussion and opposes bringing disinformation and misinformation into the conversation.
FACT opposes any community leader who promotes misinformation and harmful conspiracy theories, or encourages their followers not to abide by public health guidelines. Councillor Anneka Carlson continues to share and distribute such misleading and sensationalist content on social media.
Our concern is that the misinformation is being shared in a community with low vaccination rates potentially exposing its residents in the Taranaki and wider region to Covid-19 and its devastating consequences should we have another outbreak or open our borders next year.
FACT and the signatories below ask NPDC to:
1. Censure councillors who promote harmful conspiracy theories that clearly oppose governmental health guidelines in a public statement which unequivocally rejects misinformation.
2. Provide education to councillors to use discernment in the interpretation of data and research to avoid being victimised by anti-vaccine propaganda.
Signed:
FACT (Fight Against Conspiracy Theories), a group made up of volunteer campaigners who act against misinformation and conspiracy theories. You can find us on
Twitter @factaotearoa
www.facebook.com/factaotearoa/
Dr Chris Hopkins MBBS FRACP, Consultant Infectious Disease Physician, Middlemore Hospital, Auckland
Dr Alison Campbell PhD, Honorary Fellow, University of Waikato
Professor Shaun Hendy FRSNZ MNZM, University of Auckland
Tina Ngata (Ngāti Porou), researcher, scholar & author
Yasmin Zabidin BSc, DipGrad(Neuroscience), GradDipCardiac(Ultrasound), PGDipMedTech, Waikato District Health Board
Dr Annette Walker FRNZCGP Senior lecturer, University of Otago. MC 19414
Hamish Noonan BSc, MIS(LIBS,ACRC), RLIANZA, University of Waikato
Pamela Eccles MBChB, FANZCA, FFPMANZCA
Dr Trevor FitzJohn MB BS FRCR, Medical practitioner
Dr Caroline Ansley, General Practitioner, Christchurch
Dr Phillipa Dodds, General Practitioner, Dunedin.
Dr Pam Olver MBBcH FRNZCGP, General Practitioner
Dr. Frank Kueppers, Urologist
Anke Richter, journalist
Jacinta O’Reilly Community member
Media
Our open letter received coverage of our open letter in the Taranaki Daily News. Read the full article here.
