“For the religious faithful in the context of a pandemic where there is less opportunity to check with neighbors and family and where there is less social interaction, people are more vulnerable and are likely to become more radicalized.” “When a leader has a truth that is immutable, it is a truth that is unquestionable because it is endorsed by a deity or is a word sent by God,” said Iglesias. “A religious leader has a relationship of power where the truth that they transmit is one that, be it about a political or moral decision, is delivered from a position of ascendency,” said Nicolás Iglesias Schneider, coordinator of GEMRIP, an organization focused on the public role of faith and religion. Read more: The psychology of misinformation: Why it’s so hard to correct The trusted position of these religious leaders can legitimize potentially dangerous ideas for a large audience via independent Christian news networks and social media.
Harmful misinformation about the coronavirus abounds in Latin American Christian communities, with figures such as Gutierrez pushing unproven and potentially dangerous treatments and capitalizing on fear to promote anti-vaccine sentiment. It has been viewed more than 2 million times and marked by Facebook as false information. “At least try it because you won’t die,” Gutierrez said later in the video. Gutierrez went on to claim the solution, known as CDS or “miracle mineral solution” (MMS), is being suppressed so that microchips could be introduced via a vaccine to control people’s DNA. Each ”star” received translates to $0.01 in revenue going directly to the creator. He is also a participant in Facebook’s Stars program, which allows content producers to receive payment directly from their audience, which means Gutierrez’s videos and live broadcasts have ostensibly been evaluated and approved via Facebook’s Community Standards. “Chlorine dioxide is dangerous - but for whom? For the pharmaceutical companies and corrupt governments,” said Gutierrez in the broadcast on his Facebook Page “Pastor Oscar Gutierrez,” which has almost 220,000 followers.
On July 30, a Mexican pastor named Oscar Gutierrez broadcast what would become one of the most-watched videos on Facebook about chlorine dioxide solution, an industrial bleach he promotes as a cure and preventive treatment for Covid-19. By Jaime Longoria, Daniel Acosta Ramos and Madelyn Webb