Coronavirus: How to avoid becoming a conspiracy theorist – leader comment

We should be sceptical and cautious as we try to work out what is true – whether about the origins of the coronavirus or a compromising image of a politician – but not become so cynical that we stop believing anyone and anything.

Donald Trump may lack credibility over the origins of the Covid-19 coronavirus, but a former head of MI6 should be taken seriously (Picture: Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images)

Who do you believe? Donald Trump, Boris Johnson or Keir Starmer? How about the Chinese Communist Party, a former head of MI6 or a learned professor?

In this Age of Information, trying to separate fact from fiction can be a tricky business and we all have a tendency to back the version of events that best fits our world view. But the alarming truth is that, sometimes, our political opponents may be right.

The claim by former MI6 chief Richard Dearlove that the Covid-19 coronavirus was designed in a laboratory in China, based on a contentious scientific paper reportedly rejected by some eminent journals, echoes remarks by the US president. However, while Trump is a serial liar, Dearlove has credibility. It seems fairly clear that the paper is at odds with the opinions of most other scientists with expertise in this area. So, as far as we can tell, it looks unlikely to be true but, still, it could be. If the other researchers can’t find evidence of human interference, that doesn’t necessarily mean it is not there.

But then, science rarely proves anything in absolute terms. It is more usually a process of developing theories that seem to explain observed phenomena, which are often gradually refined and, occasionally, completely overturned. There can be studies that appear to produce diametrically opposed conclusions. Such is the complex nature of establishing what is true.

In the public arena, this task has become more complicated in recent years because of the ability of almost everyone to publish information that can be all over the world in seconds – without the sort of fact-checking that serious media organisations like The Scotsman endeavour to do on a daily basis. This week, Labour MP Ian Murray spoke out after a faked picture of him in front of a “No Surrender” Loyalist flag was circulated on social media. Will those who shared the image have corrected their Facebook feeds? It’s probably unlikely. “Deep fake” videos are even more sinister than photoshopped images, as they can literally put words in someone’s mouth or, as Ian Hyslop demonstrated in his BBC documentary Fake News, make him appear to be a professional dancer.

Navigating this newly congested minefield requires a greater degree of caution and scepticism, but this should not descend into cynicism and the belief that you can no longer believe anyone or anything. Because if that happens, the liars will have won.

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