The RootsToSky.com/Covid Misinformation Files

Politico recently admonished Dr. Anthony Fauci for his choice not to appear on Fox News, saying it deprived Fox viewers of “the Biden administration’s most public-facing figure in the effort to contain Covid-19.” But an appearance by one credible public health communicator wouldn’t be able to correct the imbalance of the network’s concerted effort to serially misinform its viewers about the pandemic.  Fox has repeatedly villainized Fauci, instead hosting a parade of dubious medical guests to justify the network’s skewed political narrative by spreading false or misleading statements to viewers. And because many in Fox’s guest lineup hold an advanced degree in public health or medicine, their willingness to lend credibility to the spread of misinformation is even more dangerous.  With the help of its rotating roster of supposed medical experts, Fox News turned vaccine passports and mandates into culture war battles because it’s “great for ratings.” According to a Media Matters study, Fox News undermined vaccines nearly every day over a six-month period. (Ironically, Fox’s own vaccine and testing policies are more stringent than those put forward by the Biden administration.)  Guests and hosts on Fox also spread many questionable “miracle cures” for COVID-19, including bear bile, vaping, and sunlight. Notably, Fox helped fan the flames of hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin misinformation, leading to shortages of these medications which are crucial for treating other ailments.  These kinds of public health misinformation are deadly, especially when it comes from people who should know better. The frequent bad actors listed below each have a history of spreading misleading and false medical advice on Fox News, which gives these medical misinformers a huge platform to spread that bad advice to its viewers. Here are the top 10 most frequent medical guests on Fox News in 2021:

How a drug used to treat parasites for decades became the hot and controversial drug of the pandemic

Hacked data also reveals that 72,000 people paid at least $6.7 million for Covid-19 consultations promoted by America’s Frontline Doctors and Simone Gold.

The DTP vaccine teaches us about how brilliant vaccine technology can be, but also how it can be studied and improved over time.

There seems to be a lot of confusion about how the new COVID-19 mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna. The purpose of this article is to give the casual

Social media channels promoting COVID-19 vaccine disinformation are proliferating across Canada, providing spaces for anti-vaccine scaremongering and conspiracy theories.

The majority of Americans will need to take the coming COVID-19 vaccine. Here’s how to persuade those who won’t want to.

Its gurus increasingly promote vaccine scepticism, conspiracy theories and the myth that ill people have themselves to blame. How did self-care turn so nasty?

Find the entire series below. And the podcast here.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis convened a roundtable including "Urgency of Normal," Great Barrington Declaration, and antivax propaganda.

The Ottawa convoy is not peaceful: megalist I recommend reading this (if you are not in Ottawa) with this drone footage on full volume, to get the full, horrible, experience. This list contains exclusively incidents in Ottawa, and does not account for actions in other Canadian cities or at the b...

Nature - The incoming US president is expected to gut support for research on the environment and infectious diseases, but could buoy work in artificial intelligence, quantum research and space...

My job is to ask tough questions of vaccine makers. That’s not what he is doing.

With a president-elect who denies the climate crisis and threatens to dismantle regulations, scientists and advocates are pleading with lawmakers to defend science. Will you stand up for the future of our planet and the health of generations to come? #ProtectScience #ClimateAction.

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Could masks create a comeback as we move beyond COVID-19? Here are the latest insights into their impact and effectiveness on public health.

Nature - Paper on hydroxychloroquine led by French researcher Didier Raoult is second-most-cited study ever to be withdrawn.

Dalan Animal Health is working to sell its bee vaccines to commercial beekeepers and governments – and potentially expand to other invertebrates.

Senate minority leader contracted the disease as a child, before the wildly successful vaccine was licensed

Republicans and Democrats on the House subcommittee to evaluate the pandemic response, released two very different reports this week

Dr. Jerome Adams, who served as the U.S. Surgeon General during the first Trump administration, is warning Republicans that they will own any disease outbreaks that occur on their watch. President-elect Donald Trump has made controversial nominations for public health roles, including Robert F. Kenn...

America's moral licensing problem.

America's moral licensing problem.

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