Elijah Schaffer
Case #
2909

Instagram fact checks Elijah Schaffer's tweet claiming that the vaccinated are a threat to the unvaccinated: BlazeTV podcast host Elijah Schaffer posted on Instagram a screenshot of a tweet he wrote that read: "Be careful of vaccinated people spreading COVID to you! They are a threat to the unvaccinated[.] Less severe symptoms means they may not know they have it and then may spread it to you, putting your life at risk[.] They are the real threat. The ones who are spreading it unknowingly[.]" Instagram flagged the post for alleged false information and covered the content of the post with an interstitial because fact-checker PolitiFact objected to the phrase "real threat" used in reference to those vaccinated against COVID-19. The fact-checker admitted that "[u]nvaccinated people can get COVID-19 from vaccinated people who get breakthrough infections." However, PolitiFact argued that according to expert opinion, breakthrough cases are rare. PolitiFact added that the unvaccinated are more likely to be infected with COVID-19 and cited low infection and hospitalization rates for those vaccinated against the virus. However, PolitiFact did not explain how it could account for the allegedly rare asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic cases Schaffer specifically referred to in his post. Fact-checked posts lose exposure on Facebook feeds as they are negatively affected by the platform's algorithm. According to Facebook, users fail to click through a fact-check interstitial to see the post 95% of the time. Instagram, owned by Facebook, likely sees a similar effect.

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