CNN’s Brianna Keilar condemned Fox News on Monday for amplifying COVID-19 vaccine denialism in what she called a “disinformation experiment” for ratings that will cost American lives.
Recent polls have suggested that a significant portion of Republicans do not plan to get the vaccine. In response, there have been increasing calls for former President Donald Trump ― who quietly received his shot in January ― to encourage his supporters to get immunized. He was also the only living former president not to take part in a campaign supporting COVID-19 vaccination.
“Didn’t tell anyone. Didn’t signal to his supporters that it was okay even as the death toll climbed, skyrocketed,” Keilar said of Trump’s vaccination. “And on propaganda TV it was back to politics about something apolitical as if somehow the health and well-being of all Americans is a political issue.”
Keilar said that during President Joe Biden’s address to Americans last Thursday, Fox News host Tucker Carlson “raised his eyebrows when Biden discussed the safety of the vaccine ― once again, reinforcing the skepticism of his audience.”
“Though, that was hardly the first time,” she added before showing examples of Carlson and his colleagues Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham sowing doubts about the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine.
“Fox viewers are guinea pigs in a huge disinformation experiment conducted on humans,” Keilar said. “And Americans, whether they are Fox viewers or not, will pay for it with their health or their livelihoods or their lives because no price is too high for Fox to right its rating ship.”
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- Find all that and more on our coronavirus hub page.