Covid Origins and a New Age of the Conspiracy Theory

February 3rd, 2025

Elisa Ma

Shifts in politics and culture play a significant impact on the narratives administrations promote. In May of 2020, President Donald Trump claimed with high conviction that the COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2 virus came from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Though echoed by other Trump-allied officials, this assertion was dismissed domestically by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and internationally by the World Health Organization (WHO.) In July of 2021, US and WHO officials acknowledged that the virus emerging from a lab was not improbable. Fast forward to January of 2025, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) contends that the virus more likely came from research facilities than from a wet market, though further investigations are necessary to make conclusions.

Traditional and social media platforms also play a critical role in information, misinformation, and dissemination. A month after former President Biden announced his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race, Mark Zuckeberg, CEO of Meta Platforms, claimed that the Biden administration pressured Meta to censor COVID-19 content, specifically posts critical of government pandemic responses. He argued that such pressure represents undue government influence over online content moderation and a changing online culture likely prompted this confession.

Consistent chronology and transparency are key to fueling trust in democratic systems. Or else, conspiracy theories reign as people aim to fill in the gaps on their own. In attempting to provide disclosure to the public regarding historical events, one of President Trump’s 4th day executive orders was to declassify still-hidden records regarding the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Although reviews will still occur before public release, revealed details can drastically alter the nation’s perception of government operations. Moreover, if hidden truths end up confirming conspiracy theories, speculation will only extend further for other theories.

As shifting political and cultural climates prompt changes in how events are interpreted, the deliberate unveiling of previously hidden records may reshape perceptions of governmental operations and what is believed to be true. However, without clarity and openness, delays of disclosure risk deepened public skepticism and will inadvertently fuel conspiracy theories. Though history may seem detached, public realizations can mean serious ramifications for the present and future.