Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Fact Check: New Data Does NOT Reveal That 21 Million Chinese Died Of Coronavirus
Lead Stories ^ | April 13, 2020 | Ryan Cooper

Posted on 04/18/2020 4:45:28 PM PDT by Widget Jr

Did new intelligence data reveal that 21 million people died in China from December 2019 to March 2020 due to the novel coronavirus? No, that's not true: An online article being shared uses a statistic about a drop in cellphone users to make a faulty supposition that this figure reflects COVID-19 deaths in China. These numbers are not correlated, fact checkers have previously shown.

The claim appeared in an article (archived here) published by News NT on April 4, 2020, under the headline "21 million Chinese died of coronavirus - US intelligence officials intercept data." It opened:

"A new data intercepted by the United States reveals that 21 million people died in China from December 2019 to March 2020, US intelligence officials conclude in a classified report for the Trump administration."

"The Intelligence report stated that at least 20.9 million of the deaths were linked to coronavirus."

"According to the US, the intercepted data that shows that China underreported its coronavirus infections and deaths was validated for a second time when it tallied with a data released by Beijing authorities. Beijing announced on March 19 that over 21 million cellphone accounts in China were canceled in the past three months while 840,000 landlines were closed."

"China had reported little over 81,000 infections with 3,300 deaths."

Even though the original link for the report is down, the archived item has gone viral. On April 13, 2020, the site republished the story using a different URL.

The article has also been copied word-for-word by other sites, including one that only changed the name of the "author" from James Alami to Alavi.

The original story mentioned that an intelligence report concluded that China has deliberately underreported the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the country. While it's true that a new report does suggest China's official figures are false, the News NT story incorrectly linked that reporting to a separate one about cellphone cancellations.

The result is a sweeping assumption that misinterpreted why millions of cellphones were canceled.

...

News NT is a relatively new player online; its domain name was only registered a month ago. A subheadline written in Vietnamese in the republished English-language article suggests the site originates from that Southeast Asian country.

Lead Stories reviewed its content and noticed a mix of real and fake stories. For example, there's an article that stated the Thai king has tested positive for coronavirus in Germany. It's true he was self-quarantining in Germany, but there is no reporting that he had come down with the new coronavirus.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: china; conspiracy; covid19; hoax
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-55 next last
Now, I am a bit cranky for being cooped up, but this seems to be a point many on the right and in conspiracy theory circles do not understand:

U.S. intelligence services do not leak classified reports given to the President of the United States. They do not leak to low traffic websites, our sites who's majority web traffic is not even in this hemisphere.

The Ministry of Public Health in Guyana also called out News NT (n5ti.com) for publishing a fake story on their facebook page.

N51ti.com is between the Santa Monica Observer and Debka.

1 posted on 04/18/2020 4:45:28 PM PDT by Widget Jr
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Widget Jr

People were dropping dead in the streets , BBC had video


2 posted on 04/18/2020 4:47:32 PM PDT by butlerweave
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Widget Jr
Lead Stories is a leftist biased site.

It seems to have been developed to discredit conservative sources.

It has a lot of former CNN people in it.

3 posted on 04/18/2020 4:48:35 PM PDT by marktwain (President Trump and his supporters are the Resistance. His opponents are the Reactionaries.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Widget Jr

Wouldn’t surprise me the least bit if the death toll was in the millions.

After all, it is the CCP.


4 posted on 04/18/2020 4:49:46 PM PDT by LastDayz (A blunt and brazen Texan. I will not be assimilated.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Widget Jr
Didn't the YouTube guy laowhy (a pun on 老外) suggest this?
5 posted on 04/18/2020 4:50:36 PM PDT by ifinnegan (Democrats kill babies and harvest their organs to sell)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Widget Jr
...China had reported...

My good FRiends...

...you need look no farther.

.

6 posted on 04/18/2020 4:50:42 PM PDT by Seaplaner
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: butlerweave

“People were dropping dead in the streets , BBC had video”

Why aren’t people dropping dead in the streets here?


7 posted on 04/18/2020 4:52:11 PM PDT by dljordan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: marktwain

That’s all we need to know about this sh!t.


8 posted on 04/18/2020 4:52:22 PM PDT by 2111USMC (Aim Small Miss Small)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Widget Jr

Haha....you have got to be kidding. Whoever has been alive during the intel agencies’ plots to impeach Trump knows they leak like baby diapers to further their narratives.


9 posted on 04/18/2020 4:52:32 PM PDT by txrefugee
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Widget Jr

Wow... really deadly virus guys. Can’t even kill 21 million Chinese.

Guess its not that deadly


10 posted on 04/18/2020 4:54:11 PM PDT by Bayard
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Widget Jr

I really question the 21m. I can easily believe 1-3m, but 21 m creates a unbelievable scenario. There must be a better explanation of the cell phone issue.

Oh and burning 21m bodies in 8-10 weeks is a logistical challenge..


11 posted on 04/18/2020 4:54:13 PM PDT by mad_as_he$$
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Widget Jr

I really question the 21m. I can easily believe 1-3m, but 21 m creates a unbelievable scenario. There must be a better explanation of the cell phone issue.

Oh and burning 21m bodies in 8-10 weeks is a logistical challenge..


12 posted on 04/18/2020 4:54:13 PM PDT by mad_as_he$$
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Widget Jr

China under reported COVID-19 deaths.

The problem for us is that the very same virus that killed millions in China is running rampant in the United States.


13 posted on 04/18/2020 4:56:12 PM PDT by Meatspace
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Widget Jr

Even China couldn’t hide 21 million dead...


14 posted on 04/18/2020 4:57:44 PM PDT by Vendome (I've Gotta Be Me https://youtu.be/wH-pk2vZG2M)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: mad_as_he$$
I really question the 21m. I can easily believe 1-3m, but 21 m creates a unbelievable scenario. There must be a better explanation of the cell phone issue.

How about an information crackdown? 21 million cell phone accounts canceled because they were considered politically unreliable in a national emergency.

Not hard for the CCP to do.

15 posted on 04/18/2020 5:00:01 PM PDT by marktwain (President Trump and his supporters are the Resistance. His opponents are the Reactionaries.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: Widget Jr

Ryan Cooper, a staff writer and fact-checker for Lead Stories, is the former Director of Programming at CNN International, where he helped shape the network’s daily newscasts broadcast to more than 280 million households around the world. He was based at the network’s Los Angeles Bureau. There, he managed the team responsible for a three-hour nightly program, Newsroom LA.


16 posted on 04/18/2020 5:01:24 PM PDT by SeekAndFind (look at Michigan, it will)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Widget Jr

Old data didn’t reveal 21 million dead either.

Chinese work several jobs each with a cellphone
Businesses closing equals dropped phone accounts. There were discussions on this at the time.


17 posted on 04/18/2020 5:01:35 PM PDT by MrEdd (Caveat Emptor)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: marktwain

F-the left. They even destroyed “fact checking”! If it weren’t so funny,I would cry.


18 posted on 04/18/2020 5:02:17 PM PDT by shanover (...To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them.-S.Adams)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Widget Jr

Lots of people are emotionally invested in 21 million dead. It’s how they can personally justify being so wrong about this virus.


19 posted on 04/18/2020 5:03:16 PM PDT by CodeToad (Arm Up! They Have!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Widget Jr

Thank you for your honest reporting.

20 posted on 04/18/2020 5:05:30 PM PDT by McGruff (Trust your instincts Mr. President.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-55 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson