Ben Tapper
Benjamin Tapper, known on social media as Dr. Ben Tapper, is an American social media influencer, conspiracy theorist, and chiropractor. A vocal opponent of mask wearing and vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic, he was named as one of the "disinformation dozen" by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) in 2021. He is one of the co-plaintiffs in Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s lawsuit against four mainstream media outlets.
Education and career
Tapper studied at Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa.[1] After completing a doctor of chiropractic degree, he moved to Omaha, Nebraska.[1] As of 2022, he was licensed to practice in the state of Nebraska.[2]
Controversy
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Tapper's social media posts downplaying the risks of the virus and attacking vaccine science went viral.[3][4] In August 2020, he spoke out against mask mandates, saying that "masks have absolutely nothing to do with health, but everything to do with compliance with a false tyrannical agenda" during an Omaha City Council meeting.[5] He has claimed that governments were using "corona propaganda"[4] to control their populations in a "blanket of tyranny".[6] Tapper is especially critical of "Big Pharma" and was skeptical of the COVID vaccine,[3] and frequently posted content such as a video of a woman with convulsions, which he attributed to "Bill Gates Moderna Covid vaccination" – an unfounded claim that was later rejected by doctors who examined her.[4]
According to a report by the Center for Countering Digital Hate and Anti-Vax Watch in 2021, Tapper was one of the "disinformation dozen" responsible for 65% of COVID-19 anti-vaccine misinformation and conspiracy theories content posted to Facebook and Twitter.[2][7][8] According to the Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, Tapper was one of six influencers who could be considered "healthcare providers" among the twelve.[2] However, Facebook later disputed some of the report's findings, claiming that it had removed content and imposed penalties on certain accounts and groups linked to the 12 named in the report, and that they were responsible for only 0.05 percent of all views of vaccine-related content on Facebook.[9]
Tapper has stated that he has lost patients and been called a "quack" due to his involvement in the anti-vaccine movement.[3] In 2021, he told the Associated Press that both Paypal and Venmo had seized his accounts with them.[3] In 2022, he appeared on OAN's Real America making the pseudoscientific claim that childhood vaccines caused gender dysphoria in teenagers, which he admitted was mere "speculation" on his part, arguing that vaccines contain "aborted fetal cells", which is false.[10]
In 2023, Tapper was named as a co-plaintiff with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and others in their lawsuit against the Trusted News Initiative, a partnership including The Washington Post, Reuters, the Associated Press, and the BBC.[11] The lawsuit alleges that the plaintiffs have been "censored" and "demonetized" due to the media outlets' efforts to prevent the circulation of disinformation.[11]
Personal life
Tapper is married and has children.[12] His father is a retired chiropractor.[12]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Meet Dr. Ben Tapper". thewellnesspointe. Archived from the original on 6 July 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2021. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Nelson, Ramona (2022). "Mitigating an Infodemic: Can The Professions Still Regulate Themselves?". Online Journal of Issues in Nursing. 27 (2): N.PAG. doi:10.3912/OJIN.Vol27No02InfoCol01 – via EBSCOHost. Unknown parameter
|s2cid=ignored (help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Smith, Michelle R.; Catalini, Mike; Bauer, Scott (October 9, 2021). "A growing number of chiropractors sow fear and mistrust in COVID-19 vaccines". Fortune.com. Associated Press. Retrieved 2023-08-23 – via EBSCOHost.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Canadians Involved in New Age Spirituality and Natural Health Are Being Sucked into the Dark World of QAnon". PressProgress. January 28, 2021. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
- ↑ Holzfaster, Sydnie (August 12, 2020). "Omaha City Council unanimously votes in favor of emergency mask mandate". FOX 42. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
- ↑ Jarry, Jonathan (March 31, 2021). "A Dozen Misguided Influencers Spread Most of the Anti-Vaccination Content on Social Media". McGill Office for Science and Society. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
- ↑ Center for Countering Digital Hate (July 2020). "The Disinformation Dozen". The Guardian. pp. 35–37. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
- ↑ Salam, Erum (17 July 2021). "Majority of Covid misinformation came from 12 people, report finds". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
- ↑ Sankaran, Vishwam (August 19, 2021). "Facebook says it removed three dozen pages spreading Covid vaccine misinformation". The Independent. ProQuest 2563943757. Retrieved 2023-08-23 – via ProQuest.
- ↑ Lewis, Bobby (September 12, 2022). "OAN asks: "Are vaccines the culprit for recent spike in trans youth?"". Media Matters for America. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Benninghoff, Grace (April 11, 2023). "Now That He's Ruled on the Abortion Pill, What Will Judge Kacsmaryk Do Next?". Texas Monthly. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 "About Us". thewellnesspointe. Archived from the original on 31 July 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2021. Unknown parameter
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