Bill Gates didn't write article on forced vaccinations and depopulation | Fact check

Nate Trela, USA TODAY
·2 min read
5

The claim: Bill Gates wrote an article arguing for depopulation through forced vaccination

An Oct. 30 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) includes an image of a woman holding a newspaper article titled “Depopulation Through Forced Vaccination: The Zero Carbon Solution!” Bill Gates’ picture is next to the article.

“The paper contains an article by Bill Gates called ‘Depopulation Through Forced Vaccination,’” reads part of the caption. “Gates believes this would be the most ‘environmentally friendly solution.’ No one gave it much thought at the time.”

The post was liked more than 3,000 times in 10 days.

Follow us on Facebook! Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks

Our rating: False

Gates did not write the article shown in the video. Screenshots of the actual article show a different byline.

Screenshots of article identify different author

The article in the video appeared in the June 2011 edition of the Sovereign Independent, a now-defunct Irish newspaper. While the article no longer appears on the paper’s website, screenshots independently archived online show the byline of Rachel Windeer on the piece.

Gates is quoted in the article, although USA TODAY previously reported that his comments from a 2010 TEDx Talk are misrepresented in it.

In that talk, Gates listed population sustainability as a key to cutting or completely eliminating carbon emissions. Better healthcare and wider use of vaccines are key to lowering birth rates, he said, because people in developing nations are less likely to have larger families when they see children will survive into adulthood.

Gates did not suggest forced vaccinations in the 27-minute talk.

Fact check: 'Air vaccine' for use on unwilling people doesn't exist, no tie to Bill Gates

Gates – and particularly his interest in promoting vaccination – is a frequent topic of misinformation. USA TODAY has debunked several claims about him this year, including a blog article claiming he was wanted in the Philippines for murder for promoting COVID-19 vaccines, a fabricated screenshot of a tweet about adding vaccines to the food supply and digitally altered audio about his interest in vaccination.

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Check Your Fact also debunked the claim.

Our fact-check sources:

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or e-newspaper here.

Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bill Gates not author of forced vaccination article | Fact check