By Brad Slager
Notice how we have heard very little in recent weeks
regarding the possible remedy for some patients who contract the coronavirus? The
press had completely walked away from that subject, after successfully
dismissing the possible benefits that had been touted by President Trump. A
new report has come out in the past week that shows there is now a possible
life-saving aspect to administering the drug in the early stages of contracting
the virus, and it becomes just another item on the ledger of media malpractice.
One of the consistently infuriating results of this
nation being cast under the pall of a pandemic -- and that is a lengthy
collection of grievances -- has been the media and its approach to the crisis.
Not only has there been conflicting reports, but the press itself has been
remarkably inept in its ability to remain consistent, all while showing it has
been very desirous to politicize the outbreak. The assessment of President
Trump’s reaction and performance has been a constant source of negativity, but
much of it is either rooted in contradictions, or even mitigated by the press
itself.
…
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The media has been steeped in contradiction these viral
months with the only constant being the scorn they heap on Trump.
The press scorched Trump over allegedly not taking action
for over 70 days. Yet while the administration began taking steps in January
the press was still denying the seriousness of coronavirus well into February.
In January there was criticism over Trump not closing down travel and then when
he did ban flights from China that month he was called a racist xenophobe.
Journalists complained they were not briefed enough on the administration’s
response, then when the White House began holding daily briefings journalists
called for their networks to stop carrying them.
This has been the practice of the press all the while,
and their responsibilities are exposed in a variety of subjects concerning the
coronavirus.
Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ)
It has been clear the media was on a mission
to discredit the recommendation of this drug, all based on their desire to
deliver a political hit as opposed to delivering public safety information. They
claimed the drug was unproven, while it has been on the market since the 1950s.
Trump was irresponsible recommending the drug designed to fight malaria,
ignorant (or likely, ignoring) that HCQ serves over a dozen other off-label
treatments.
They exaggerated the dangers in administering
HCQ despite millions who take the drug daily. It was said to be a
high health risk when the most danger was seen in long term users, not the
5-day regimen recommended to fight COVID. Trump was called ‘’reckless’’ for
telling people to take an unproven medication when the non-medically-trained
journalists failed to note it was only available under doctor supervision. Now
a doctor has reported after looking into over 2,500 cases they saw that giving early
treatment of HCQ cut the mortality by 50 percent. This was just as
under-reported as the medical survey released months ago showing thousands of
doctors worldwide who said they had the best success in treatments with HCQ.
Caseloads
Statistics are the crutch of the press; easy to compile
and quickly digested by the audience. They have been dutiful in detailing the
number of cases nationwide and by state, as well as the death count. What is
less compiled is the rates. We always hear about the spikes and the spread, but
we have seen very little in the way of reporting on survivals. As they
breathlessly detail the mounting number of those infected we do not get a
commensurate recognition that death rates are falling as a result.
Recently Katie Tur gave a report courtesy of the CDC that
we could actually be experiencing an infection rate ten times higher than
recorded. This would be a result of people who contracted the virus but were
asymptomatic. As the report was delivered with alarm it is actually great news.
That means everything grave about the disease is diminished. Herd immunity is
being achieved, resulting in severe cases, hospitalizations, and death rates
becoming ten times lower. The death rate has been under 400 per million,
and those are overwhelmingly seen in the elderly. For every 200 deaths of
those over the age of 50, there are around 20 in those younger than 50.
Ventilators
Remember when these medical devices were all the rage?
Rather telling that after weeks, or even months, of the press hyperventilating
over the drastic need for these machines they have fallen out of the news
cycle. When the press was declaring the administration had dropped the ball on
the ventilator supply they refused to note a number of executive orders had
been passed to allow businesses more legal freedom for them to be
mass-produced. The press will not note that effort has either been wildly
successful, or the need was severely over-hyped.
States and governors were loudly reported to be in need,
but curiously there was light coverage when those same states shortly began
sharing their surplus machines with others. At one point there was a call
for New York to receive thousands of the breathing devices, and President Trump
was neglectful in failing to fill the need. General Motors was one corporation
compelled to join in the production effort, with an order for 30,000 of the
machines to be produced through this fall. It has not come close to
fulfillment, and before the end of that same month, New York was donating its surplus
machines to third world nations.
Medical
Face Masks
The press has been more than willing to make the wearing
of masks a high-priority political issue. Journalists have taken to shaming the
President, and anyone else of note, if discovered to have gone without the
‘’proper’’ face covering. If only there was medical agreement found that was as
ardent as the hectoring journalists. Over time we have seen messaging from The
CDC, the Surgeon General, Task Force physician Dr. Anthony Fauci, and even that
favorite of the press corps, the WHO on the ineffectiveness of wearing
the masks. Of course, we have seen almost as many conflicting reports,
often from the same sources. Here is what is never addressed -- with the press screeching
about masks, and politicians and local governments mandating their use, if they
are such a proven prevention aid then why are we not opening up the country
right now? Either these are a beneficial safeguard and we can operate without
risk, or the benefits of these required masks are overblown and the social
scolds can calm themselves down.
Crowd
Gatherings
There has been no other coverage more blatant to expose
the press in hysterical hypocritical outrage than the recent weeks of the
public going out and about. For months the general public had been
shamed about leaving their homes, individuals were being arrested for opening
their businesses, and protests against the stay-at-home orders were roundly
criticized. Then the Black Lives Matter protests erupted and the press forgot
all about public distancing. People who had to forego holding funerals for
loved ones were forced to stay home and watch George Floyd become eulogized
in THREE public services.
Now the press has swung all the way back to prevent
gatherings, trying in vain to report on spikes in cases in many states while
not daring to mention the protests. The LA Times strained for weeks to explain
how their stricter standards in California led to sharp rises in cases. We saw
the blatant press paradox take place within the same day last weekend. On
Sunday morning reports came about the irresponsibility of people in Arizona
gathering to float down rivers with inner tubes as COVID cases increased.
Then that same afternoon a massive street protest
with thousands packed in for a gay pride rally took place and not a word of
outrage was heard.
Despite these growing cases of media malpractice they
continue to position themselves as the medical experts in this nation. It
is showing to be time that we stop swallowing their snake oil tonic without
question.
