Culture Feature

Kennedy Conspiracies: RFK Jr. Banned From Instagram

Conspiracies and misinformation have played a central role in much of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s life.

Robert Kennedy Jr's speech on Trump's decision to exit Paris climate agreement, Granada, Spain - 08 Nov 2019

Miguel Angel Molina/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

On Thursday environmental activist, lawyer, and vaccine "skeptic" Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was banned from Instagram as part of parent-company Facebook's ongoing fight against misinformation on their platforms.

A spokesperson for Facebook reported that they had cut off his account for "repeatedly sharing debunked claims about the coronavirus or vaccines." This comes just a few months after Kennedy's group, Children's Health Defesne, filed suit against Facebook for rejecting their ads and fact-checking posts about vaccines and 5G. But to truly understand how we got to this point, it's worth taking a look back at the history of misinformation that has swirled around Kennedy's family.

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CULTURE

Jessica Biel Denies Being an Anti-Vaxxer (Despite Lobbying with Anti-Vaxxers)

Unfounded and dangerous claims by anti-vaccine activists include: vaccines contain toxic amounts of mercury (disproven), vaccines are untested and unregulated (false), and vaccines are somehow associated with autism (100% fantasy).

Jessica Biel

Photo by Matt Baron (BEI/Shutterstock)

Jessica Biel swears she's not an anti-vaxxer—she's just opposed to a bill that would tighten mandates on vaccinations.

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