For weeks, Fox News hosts and guests, as well as their paid medical advisers, gushed over the “game changer.” Hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malaria drug that was going to be the panacea to our plague. But then came a problem that often out-foxes Fox, the facts. A major study reported not only did it not help with COVID-19, more patients died who took the drug.
CNN’s Brian Stelter writes in his newsletter, Reliable Sources: “Despite having previously pushed the drug as a possible treatment, neither Tucker Carlson nor Sean Hannity mentioned the study on their Fox News shows Tuesday night. I didn’t see Laura Ingraham, who reportedly visited the White House to promote the drug, discuss it either. Fox published a digital story on the Tuesday study, but it fell off the website’s homepage after a few hours. And, according to CNN’s Betsy Klein, Trump hasn’t mentioned it in a week…”
Media Matters reports Fox News mentioned hydroxychloroquine more than 300 times in a two week period. But beginning around April 16, suddenly most of the chatter stopped.
And on Wednesday morning, an about face from Fox and its resident MD, Dr. Oz:
Fox News is threatening our health, argues Dan Kennedy of WGBH in Boston in a must-read piece:
“Tucker Carlson knows what’s good for you. Have you heard that the coronavirus disperses more readily when you’re outdoors? It’s right here in the Journal of the American Medical Association. And did you know the Chinese have discovered that most people contracted COVID-19 when they were inside? So why does the liberal media and political elite want you to stay cooped up in your home?
“Being outside is far safer. It’s also good for you,” the Fox News host told his viewers. “The question is why are our leaders hurting us on purpose. And the answer is: Because they can.” He added: “You may be suffering intensely, but they’re enjoying it.” In case you didn’t quite get the message, a graphic off to the side read: “Shut Up & Obey.”
This post contains opinion.
