"Krone" fact check
Still alive, Joe? A right-wing stink bomb
There has been speculation about Joe Biden's state of health for years. A new disinformation campaign puts everything that has gone before in the shade: The US president is in fact dead! Below is a "Krone" fact check that shows just how out of hand things are.
Claim: Joe Biden is dead.
Fact check: Joe Biden is alive.
What's behind it?
Trumpism has long been more than one man. It is an ideology that subordinates everything to success. It doesn't matter how you get there. It lies, defames and abbreviates. This cycle is then repeated until people are no longer sure what the truth is. In short: conspiracy and disorientation lead to success!
Donald Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon summarized it this way in 2018: "The real opposition is the media. And the way to deal with them is to flood the zone with shit." Or as the American says: "Flood the zone with shit!" Something will stink so bad that people will talk about it.
A right-wing stink bomb
Since Joe Biden's announcement that he will no longer be running in the presidential election, this machinery has been running at full speed. The latest stink bomb: the US president is no longer alive. Rumble!
This fantasy is currently gaining momentum, promoted by profit-oriented social network algorithms. First and foremost Platform X, whose owner Elon Musk openly supports Donald Trump.
Where does false allegation originate?
Last Sunday, the US President announced his decision not to run for re-election by letter. He spared himself a personal appearance as he was recovering from a coronavirus infection at his beach house at the time of publication. After the disastrous campaign so far, the move came as no surprise.
Nevertheless, all alarm bells were ringing at the right-wing US broadcaster Fox News. In a live broadcast a few hours after Biden's statement, the presenters were full of concern. Where is the 81-year-old? The answer would have been: at his vacation home in Delaware.
Viewers were served something else. Nobody had seen him, according to the news show. No one knows where he is. In view of the events, this is worrying, says one of the presenters. His colleague picks up the ball: "Not even a recent photo has been published, nothing." Then the crucial sentences: "I hope he's okay." And: "A sign of life, please!"
The scene described:
A short time later, a media outlet spread the word on X that they had it on good authority that the US president was dying in a hospice. A former Republican member of Congress, Madison Cawthorn, tweeted on Monday: "Does anyone else think Biden is dead?" The post was flushed into X users' timelines more than two million times. A warning under the misleading words is still missing today.
Absurd explanations for every appearance
The damage was done, the narrative caught on and took on a life of its own - despite all the evidence. On Monday, Biden phoned Harris at the Democratic campaign headquarters in Wilmington. "I want to say to the team: Hug her. She's the best," he called out to the Democrats. It was his first public statement since withdrawing from the presidential race. In the right-wing spectrum, the response was: that's not good enough, it's a vote impersonator.
With each subsequent appearance, the explanations became more absurd. The signature under the withdrawal announcement? It looks fake! Photos of Biden's return to the White House? Manipulated!
Biden finally addressed the nation in a speech on Wednesday. In prime time, in color, on all channels and in real time. He gave a pathetic speech and explained his reasons for withdrawing. With a heavy tongue and his visibly moved loved ones beside him. But even this appearance is now being exploited for false reports.
An example of right-wing disinformation:
For this, a picture in posts that have been viewed millions of times was used as alleged proof of a recording in which the time on the 81-year-old's wristwatch is said not to match the actual broadcast time.
When reality no longer arrives
A screenshot from the speech was apparently used for this purpose, on which Biden's hands show a few minutes past seven o'clock - the speech, however, began at 8 p.m. Washington time. A research time of three minutes eases the conscience. View official press photos, enlarge several shots, check the time. The realization: the images being circulated are fakes.
The photos taken by the press photographers on site document that Biden's watch matched the broadcast time (see zoomed photo below).
The stink trolls couldn't care less. They continue to lie and obfuscate. Now Biden is suddenly supposed to be taller than before his quarantine. In the spirit of: This really stinks! Something will stick.
This article has been automatically translated,
read the original article here.
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