BOOM

Trending Searches

    SUPPORT
    BOOM

    Trending News

      • Fact Check 
        • Fast Check
        • Politics
        • Business
        • Entertainment
        • Social
        • Sports
        • World
      • Law
      • Explainers
      • News 
        • All News
      • Decode 
        • Impact
        • Scamcheck
        • Life
        • Voices
      • Media Buddhi 
        • Digital Buddhi
        • Senior Citizens
        • Videos
      • Web Stories
      • BOOM Research
      • BOOM Labs
      • Deepfake Tracker
      • Videos 
        • Facts Neeti
      • Home-icon
        Home
      • About Us-icon
        About Us
      • Authors-icon
        Authors
      • Team-icon
        Team
      • Careers-icon
        Careers
      • Internship-icon
        Internship
      • Contact Us-icon
        Contact Us
      • Methodology-icon
        Methodology
      • Correction Policy-icon
        Correction Policy
      • Non-Partnership Policy-icon
        Non-Partnership Policy
      • Cookie Policy-icon
        Cookie Policy
      • Grievance Redressal-icon
        Grievance Redressal
      • Republishing Guidelines-icon
        Republishing Guidelines
      • Fact Check-icon
        Fact Check
        Fast Check
        Politics
        Business
        Entertainment
        Social
        Sports
        World
      • Law-icon
        Law
      • Explainers-icon
        Explainers
      • News-icon
        News
        All News
      • Decode-icon
        Decode
        Impact
        Scamcheck
        Life
        Voices
      • Media Buddhi-icon
        Media Buddhi
        Digital Buddhi
        Senior Citizens
        Videos
      • Web Stories-icon
        Web Stories
      • BOOM Research-icon
        BOOM Research
      • BOOM Labs-icon
        BOOM Labs
      • Deepfake Tracker-icon
        Deepfake Tracker
      • Videos-icon
        Videos
        Facts Neeti
      Trending Tags
      TRENDING
      • #Operation Sindoor
      • #Pahalgam Terror Attack
      • #Narendra Modi
      • #Rahul Gandhi
      • #Waqf Amendment Bill
      • #Arvind Kejriwal
      • #Deepfake
      • #Artificial Intelligence
      • Home
      • World
      • No, Bill Gates Has Not Called The...
      World

      No, Bill Gates Has Not Called The Coronavirus A 'Great Corrector'

      The Gates Foundation has urged citizens to stop sharing a fake letter on the coronavirus written by Bill Gates.

      By - AFP |
      Published -  18 April 2020 8:15 PM IST
    • Boomlive
      No, Bill Gates Has Not Called The Coronavirus A Great Corrector

      An "open letter" purportedly written by US billionaire and philanthropist Bill Gates about the novel coronavirus pandemic has been shared in English and Chinese on Facebook, Twitter and various websites. The Chinese-language posts state the letter was translated from its original publication in the British newspaper The Sun. But the letter is fake; Gates' philanthropic organisation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, clarified on Weibo that the letter presents "false information" and urged netizens to stop sharing it. The Sun has reportedly removed the letter from its website. The letter, written in simplified Chinese, was published on Facebook here on March 25, 2020.

      Translated to English, the Facebook post begins: "An open letter from Bill Gates was published by British newspaper The Sun today and has since attracted a lot of attention. The letter has been shared widely by netizens who praise Gates' wisdom. It has been translated swiftly into Chinese. Here is Gates' letter."

      The 14-part letter states the novel coronavirus pandemic has reminded humans about our equality, inter-connectedness and limited longevity, as well as the importance of health and family; and that the storm will pass but what remains is the fact that the Earth is ill.

      The author ended the letter by concluding that the pandemic is not a disaster, but a "great corrector".

      The post also included a screenshot of a WeChat article titled "Bill Gates: Novel coronavirus is a 'great corrector'", which was published on an account called Mengyue Marriage School.

      Below is a partial screenshot of the misleading Facebook post:

      Partial screenshot of the misleading Facebook post

      The novel coronavirus has killed at least 72,000 people and infected more than 1.2 million others worldwide as of April 7, according to the World Health Organisation.

      The same letter has also circulated alongside a similar Chinese-language claim on Facebook here, here and here; and on Twitter here, here and here. English versions of the letter were also shared on Facebook here, here and here; and on various websites here and here.

      But the letter is fake.

      The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation clarified on its verified Weibo account here on March 24, 2020, that the letter was not written by Gates.

      "Recently an article credited to Bill Gates with the title 'What we can learn from the novel coronavirus epidemic' has circulated online after being translated from a report published on the website of British newspaper The Sun. It has been confirmed that the article presents false information and has been removed from The Sun's website. Please stop sharing the article. Thank you!" The statement reads.

      Below is a screenshot of the Weibo post from Gates Foundation:

      The Sun has reportedly apologised and removed the erroneous letter from its website. A spokesperson for The Sun told British newspaper The Independent that it "mistakenly published a spoof story".

      The Sun has not replied to enquiries from AFP at the time of publication.

      (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by BOOM staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

      Tags

      COVID-19
      Read Full Article
      Claim :   The post features an open letter falsely claimed to be written by Bill Gates on the COVID-19 pandemic.
      Claimed By :  Facebook, Twitter
      Fact Check :  False
      Next Story
      Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors.
      Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker. Please reload after ad blocker is disabled.
      X

      Subscribe to BOOM Newsletters

      👉 No spam, no paywall — but verified insights.

      Please enter a Email Address
      Subscribe for free!

      Stay Ahead of Misinformation!

      Please enter a Email Address
      Subscribe Now🛡️ 100% Privacy Protected | No Spam, Just Facts
      By subscribing, you agree with the Terms & conditions and Privacy Policy connected to the offer

      Thank you for subscribing!

      You’re now part of the BOOM community.

      Or, Subscribe to receive latest news via email
      Subscribed Successfully...
      Copy HTMLHTML is copied!
      There's no data to copy!