COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Republican lawmakers have criticized governors’ emergency actions since the coronavirus outbreak began. Now that legislatures are back in session, a new type of pushback is taking root: misinformation. In their own comments or by inviting skeptics to testify at legislative hearings, GOP lawmakers from Alaska to Virginia are using their platforms to promote false information about the virus, steps needed to limit its spread and the vaccines that will pull the nation out of the pandemic. They have faced swift backlash in some cases, even getting censored online. That raises tough questions about how best to fight potentially dangerous misstatements while protecting free speech and people’s access to government.
Some GOP state lawmakers help spread COVID-19 misinformation
