Did Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum (WEF), ban "vaccinated pilots from transporting World Economic Forum members in and out of Davos due to the safety risk they pose"? No, there's no evidence that's true: The supposed source for the claim denies that he said the WEF had reached out looking for unvaccinated pilots. He urged his supporters to "unfollow anyone spreading this garbage."
The claim appeared in a story (archived here) published by NewsPunch on January 15, 2023. Titled "WEF Hires Unvaccinated Pilots To Fly Them Into Davos: 'Safety of Our Members Is No. 1 Priority,'" the article opened:
Klaus Schwab has banned vaccinated pilots from transporting World Economic Forum members in and out of Davos due to the safety risk they pose.
Users on social media saw this title, description and thumbnail:
WEF Hires Unvaccinated Pilots To Fly Them Into Davos: "Safety of Our Members Is No. 1 Priority" - News Punch
Klaus Schwab has banned vaccinated pilots from transporting World Economic Forum members in and out of Davos due to the safety risk they pose.
The article continued:
Josh Yoder, the head the U.S. Freedom Flyers, an anti-vaccine mandate group of pilots, told pilot Alan Dana that he is receiving inquiries from Davos elites interested in hiring unvaccinated pilots to fly their business trips.
On Twitter, Yoder confirmed that businessmen looking for unvaccinated pilots had reached out to him, but denied saying anything about the WEF, which is hosting its annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, the week of January 16, 2023. He wrote: "Click bait journalism is a scourge. I never said that the WEF/Davos has reached out looking for unvaccinated pilots."
Yoder's full tweet can be read here:
Click bait journalism is a scourge. I never said that the WEF/Davos has reached out looking for unvaccinated pilots. What I did say was that wealthy businessmen have reached out to me for that purpose. Unfollow anyone spreading this garbage.@USFreedomFlyers @TuckerCarlson
-- Josh Yoder (@JoshYoder) January 15, 2023
Lead Stories reached out to Yoder via US Freedom Flyers and the WEF to ask about the claim. We will update this story, as appropriate, if we receive responses.
If the claim were true, it would be a stunning reversal for the WEF, which has been very vocal about its support for vaccines. For example, in 2022, the WEF announced that it had partnered with UNICEF and leading logistics companies to deliver more than 1 billion COVID-19 vaccines.
See below:
The @wef has partnered with @UNICEF and leading shipping, airline and logistics companies in the race for global vaccine equity, so far delivering more than 1 billion COVID-19 vaccines to vulnerable communities worldwide.@UNICEFSupply
-- World Economic Forum (@wef) March 14, 2022
Learn more https://t.co/yw3CFC5pFu pic.twitter.com/QZPHwitcxQ
NewsPunch, which originally started as Your News Wire, is among the most prolific online publishers of fake news.
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