The mainstream media have for a long time been eroding their credibility with the public by dispensing half-truths, deceptions, political bias, and propaganda. With CNN’s transparent lies about Joe Rogan’s use of Ivermectin when he contracted COVID-19, it seems that legacy institutions are burning their remaining public trust in a bonfire. Is this just suicidal hubris, or is there a plan behind the madness?
Horse Dewormer
Joe Rogan
(Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
In case you missed the story, independent media personality Rogan recently announced on his show that he had COVID-19 and that he treated himself with Ivermectin, a broad-spectrum anti-parasite drug with a significant anti-viral effect. CNN then ran what can only be described as a character-assassination campaign against Rogan, claiming that he had used “horse dewormer” to treat the coronavirus.
The FDA-approved Ivermectin is one of the safest drugs available. It has saved millions of people from debilitating parasitic diseases, especially in developing nations. In 2015, the Nobel Prize for Medicine was awarded to the researchers who discovered the drug. The Nobel Committee said: “Today, the Avermectin-derivative Ivermectin is one good way to eradicate River Blindness and Lymphatic Filariasis.”
While it is true that Ivermectin also can be used to treat worm infections in horses, its primary use has been in humans. As one Twitter user stated, imagine if Rogan had said, “I drink water,” and CNN reported it as “Rogan drinks nuclear reactor coolant fluid.” While it is technically accurate that water is used this way, it is highly deceptive.
Hubris?
If this had been a one-time incident in one media outlet, it would not matter. However, it appears to be a significant pattern of behavior for politically charged news over an extensive period. So much so that a survey showed that only 29% of Americans trust the media, dead last among developed nations.
Nothing indicates that the legacy media companies are taking this massive erosion of public trust seriously. That begs the question: Why? The obvious possibility is hubris. Smaller and nimbler competitors have toppled many industry giants. It is not unthinkable that CNN and other media giants believe they are indestructible and can therefore afford to deceive their viewers without consequences.
Another Possibility?
Second, traditional media have been facing more adverse market conditions over the last few decades. The internet has eradicated many paper-based media. Independent journalists and alternative media personalities such as Rogan, Tim Pool, and Ben Shapiro have captured consumers in key demographics.
Rogan is a competitor. Could the simple reason for CNN’s deceptive behavior be motivated by desperation, a last-ditch effort to save a sinking ship, even if it means resorting to dubious used-car salesperson methods?
A third and more ominous possibility is that CNN, like Facebook, is trying to get itself regulated by the government. Regulation favors big business and established players who know how to work the system and are large enough to hire an army of lawyers to handle the regulatory load. Under the guise of fighting fake news, regulators could build juridical walls so high that only the likes of CNN could be licensed to operate. If they try this, Rogan and his ilk might surprise them.
~ Read more from Caroline Adana.
