Verification quest- draft

Verification Quest: Covid’s Lab Leak Conspiracy

Springtime calls for blue skies and sunshine. Birds are chirping, flowers are blooming, and the weather is a cool 60 degrees Fahrenheit. People walk outside getting their daily exercise, restaurants are filled with customers ready to eat, and grocery stores are fully stocked with products ready to sell. Society continues to go on living a normal life on a normal day. Not so long ago, no one was outside, restaurants were closed, and grocery stores were sold out of many essential products. The weather may have felt fine, and flowers may have been blooming, but quarantine was a completely different kind of world. COVID-19 changed the way people lived and breathed—literally. People were told to get vaccines, keep their distance from each other, and wear masks wherever they went; however, with a mysterious virus spreading worldwide, some questioned its origin. And with the mystery of its origin comes conspiracy theories.

            The panic of the coronavirus has caused people to create outrageous theories. Some stated it was a hoax, while others were convinced it was for vaccines to plant microchips into humans. One idea was like the film Contagion, which was released nearly ten years prior, where at the end of the movie, a bat is shown passing on the virus to a pig and eventually to a human. Though this likely seems true, there is no evidence that it is the cause of the pandemic.

            One of the most infamous conspiracy theories to emerge from quarantine was the lab leak theory. Instead of spreading from species to species, it is thought that the disease was created at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan, China, where it infected one of the facility’s workers and eventually spread to several others. Although it may seem unlikely, the theory has never been debunked, and some still believe it.

            Coincidentally, the world population was increasing more than double its size. In Carl Sagan’s book, Billions & Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium, he mentions in one of the chapters that every forty years the population doubles in size. According to Worldometer, the population was just above 3 billion in 1960, and by 2000 the population was 6.17 billion; in 1970, the population was 3.69 billion, and in 2010 the population was just about 7 billion; and in 1980 the population was 4.44 billion. In 2020, during the pandemic, the population was 7.88 billion. Not quite double, but it seemed as if the world was headed in that direction. Some may wonder if the lab leak was used to control the world population.

            Mike Caulfield’s and Sam Wineburg’s book Verified gives advice and deep dives on how to do proper research, what stealth ads are, which websites are real and which ones are not, and much more. Following this book’s methods can help solve what some people continue to question when it comes to the lab leak conspiracy theory and see where they got their information.

            Before digging into the internet, Caulfield and Wineburg recommend the acronym SIFT: stop, investigate the source, find other coverage, and trace the claim. First, stop and observe so you understand what you are looking at. Next, you need to investigate and see if the source, whether it is a website or a video, is trustworthy. Third, you must check that other reliable sources are making the same claim (coverage) as the first source. Finally, you must see if the original source is trustworthy and that you are confident it is factual. The SIFT method may seem time-consuming, but it is an easy way to get the most out of what you see, especially at first glance. This will help while searching through several websites.

            One way to start this research is by typing “coronavirus lab leak” for this conspiracy theory on a search engine such as Google. It is straightforward and there are no unnecessary words. Although it does not prevent some of the sponsored or shady websites from popping up, it will help get the most accurate results.  Using the correct, precise terms is important in any research because it narrows down the websites.

            Before deciding to browse whichever website seems the most helpful, it is important to remember what sites can actually assist in the research. Shady sites consist of slick appearances, questionable authors, and out-of-date links that may not be functional. It is also important to know that “.com” and “.org” websites are not to be trusted. This is why the SIFT method is vital in doing web-based research.

            Instead of selecting random sites on the search engine, a good place to start is Wikipedia. What started as an untrustworthy site, and one that teachers had warned to stray away from, is now monitored by bots and humans to get the most accurate information. Anyone who wants to add to an article must follow Wikipedia’s style guides; if not, it will be deleted. Since the articles’ fix, thousands of articles have been corrected.

            Checking a Wikipedia article’s references section can be a great way to start. References and functioning up-to-date links add credibility to the article. Selecting these links can be an easier way to find research. The lab leak theory wiki page has nearly three hundred references, three external references, and four attached articles. This is something to consider if there are no reliable sources in the search results.

            Continuing to Google’s search results, there are a plethora of websites to choose from. At first glance, it is difficult to make a choice. One of the first sites is whitehouse.gov. This seems reliable because it is a “.gov” site. After selecting the link, the words “LAB LEAK” AND “The true origins of Covid-19” are immediately presented. It also shows Donald Trump standing between the letters. The site seems slick in appearance and is covered in Trump propaganda, which makes this site look a bit shady, but it is important to see what the site has to say. Scrolling down, the site shows that Dr. Fauci stated that the virus originated naturally, but lists five reasons why it originated in the Wuhan Facility. Farfetched and one-sided, especially for a “.gov” site, but it seems like the right direction. Towards the bottom of the page is a five-hundred fifty-seven-page PDF file written by Brad Wenstrup, who is now a Member of the United States President’s Intelligence Advisory Board. After scrolling to page thirty-eight, the PDF states, “SARS- Co V-2, the Virus that Causes COVID-19, Likely Emerged Because of a Laboratory or Research Related Accident.” The website tries to convince the viewer that the origins are from the Wuhan facility, but the keyword is “likely,” meaning it is not definite. There is also no author of the page, so there is no credibility. Going along with the SIFT method, it is time to move on.

            Two pages from Google’s search results that seem reliable and may help are NPR.org and Skeptoid.com. ‘Lab Leak,’ a flashy page on the virus’ origins, replaces government COVID sites on NPR is written by Rob Stein just a year ago in 2025 and seems relevant, while Skeptoid’s COVID-19 and the Lab Leak was written by Brian Dunning in 2024. Both sites contain hyperlinks to related sites, peer-reviewed articles, and authors. The information is relevant and seems useful. Skeptoid contains references, and although NPR includes sponsors, the website does have a reputation for having reliable information.

            Before assuming these are good websites, it is important to look up who exactly these authors are. Rob Stein includes a link to his bio: 30 years of award- winning scientific journalism writing and editing for several different popular press. Seems to be reliable. Brian Dunning also includes a link to his bio, but it is very brief and more funny than serious. Googling his name brings up his website, which shows his credibility as a science writer, podcaster, filmmaker, and member of the National Association of Science Writers. Dunning and Stein seem like two authors who know how to write for their audience.

            Now it is time to search for relevant information on how the coronavirus affected the population size. Using the same method, the Washington Post’s article Natural population growth was slowing. The pandemic pressed the brakes. written by Phillip Bump seems reliable. The article was written in 2021, so this is something to consider since the information may not be as accurate. The website shows graphs and statistics, though, and explains how it got its numbers. Bump also includes a hyperlink to his bio, a brief about section which shows he has worked at the Washington Post, and links to several articles he has written. Googling his name brings up his own website, which shows more information on his background in writing.

            Now that there are three reliable websites, it is also important to consider scholarly articles, which are reliable, peer-reviewed essays. There are a few places to start, such as Google Scholar and JSTOR. These are digital libraries that contain articles, journals, and much more to help find all sorts of information. They contain references, citations, and works from several decades. Since these are peer-reviewed, the information within these works is safe to use if it is cited correctly.

Both Google Scholar and JSTOR are easy to use. Searching “COVID-19 lab leak” on both databases shows many results. On Google Scholar, The Origin of COVID-19 and Why It Matters is a published article on PubMedCentral, a national library of medicine. JSTOR leads to Covid-19: China pressured WHO team to dismiss lab leak theory, claims chief investigator, an article that was originally published on BMJ: British Medical Journal. These articles also contain statistics, references, and credibility.

Finding the right scholarly articles can be tedious since there are so many to choose from. The same difficulties come when determining which website is most trustworthy and which one is not. Interestingly, Whitehouse.gov does not have an author and also heavily implies that the information on its site is factual. Other websites display articles whose authors include statistics, references, and sometimes even peer-reviewed articles. Even Wikipedia includes reliable references thanks to its updates. Caulfield’s and Wineburg’s Verified shows exactly how to get answers, not just for the lab leak theory, but for any research. There is still no definite answer to the lab leak conspiracy theory and whether the virus was used to slow down the world population. If it is worth checking out again, then the SIFT method is there to help find out.

Works Cited

Bump, Phillip. “Natural Population Growth Was Slowing. The Pandemic Pressed the Brakes.” Washingtonpost, Washington Post, 5 May 2021, www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/05/05/natural-population-growth-was-slowing-pandemic-pressed-brakes/.

Bump, Phillip. “The Aftermath.” Philip Bump, 2025, www.pbump.com/.

Caulfield, Mike, and Sam Wineburg. Verified: How to Think Straight, Get Duped Less, and Make Better Decisions about What to Believe Online. University of Chicago Press, 2023.

Dunning, B. (2024, April 23) COVID-19 and the Lab Leak. Skeptoid Media. https://skeptoid.com/episodes/933

Dunning, Brian. “Contact Brian Dunning.” BrianDunning.Com, www.briandunning.com/press. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.

Dyer, Owen. “Covid-19: China Pressured WHO Team to Dismiss Lab Leak Theory, Claims Chief Investigator.” BMJ: British Medical Journal, vol. 374, 2021, pp. 1–2. JSTOR, https://www-jstor-org.ezproxy.mtsu.edu/stable/27353781. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.

“Lab Leak: The True Origins of Covid-19.” The White House, The United States Government, 15 Aug. 2025, www.whitehouse.gov/lab-leak-true-origins-of-covid-19/.

Morens DM, Breman JG, Calisher CH, Doherty PC, Hahn BH, Keusch GT, Kramer LD, LeDuc JW, Monath TP, Taubenberger JK. The Origin of COVID-19 and Why It Matters. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2020 Sep;103(3):955-959. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.20-0849. PMID: 32700664; PMCID: PMC7470595.

Stein, Rob. “Rob Stein.” NPR, NPR, www.npr.org/people/146944972/rob-stein. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.

Stein, Rob. “‘lab Leak,’ a Flashy Page on the Virus’ Origins, Replaces Government Covid Sites.” NPR, NPR, 18 Apr. 2025, www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/04/18/g-s1-61324/lab-leak-white-house-covid-origins.

“World Population by Year.” Worldometer, United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, 2024, www.worldometers.info/world-population/world-population-by-year/.