These 12 individuals account for almost two thirds of covid disinformation.
Some are familiar to antivaxxers.
The Disinformation Dozen were selected because they have large followings on social media, produce high volumes of anti-vaccine content, or saw rapid growth of their social media accounts from February-March 2021.
Joseph Mercola, an osteopathic physician and major proponent of “natural health”
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the son of Robert F. Kennedy and an environmental lawyer and the founder of Children’s Health Defense
Ty and Charlene Bollinger, self-acclaimed filmmakers and founders of the docuseriesThe Truth about Cancer
Sherri Tenpenny, an osteopathic physician who believes vaccines cause autism
Rizza Islam, an antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ social media influencer who targets his anti-vaccine messaging to the Black community
Rashid Buttar, an osteopathic physician known for usingchelation therapyfor numerous conditions, including autism and cancer
Erin Elizabeth, runs an alternative health site called “Health Nut News” who has also shared antisemitic posts
Sayer Ji, the founder of GreenMedInfo, a popular alternative medicine portal
Kelly Brogan, an author of books on alternative medicine, such asMind of Your Own
Christiane Northrup, an obstetrics and gynecology physician and author who has embraced pseudoscientific alternative medicine theories
Ben Tapper, who works as a chiropractor and founded The Wellness Pointe
Kevin Jenkins, a social epidemiologist focused on inequities in healthcare
