Fox viewers are misinformed about the COVID pandemic. Advertisers should take note

Anew study has reached an obvious conclusion: People who rely primarily on Fox News for their information are more likely to believe dangerous falsehoods about the pandemic. The corporate sponsors who continue to enable this toxic network have it in their power to demand that it stop spreading this viral misinformation — and consumers have it in their power to demand that those sponsors act.

The Kaiser Family Foundation study asked viewers of Fox, CNN, MSNBC, network news and local news whether they believed seven common myths about the pandemic. Viewers of Fox were more likely to believe in falsehoods like government conspiracies to overstate the number of coronavirus deaths and understate the number of vaccine-related deaths, or that there are microchips in the coronavirus vaccines, or that infertility or DNA changes have been attributed to the vaccines.

To be clear, these are not only lies but potentially dangerous ones, as they make it more difficult to convince the public to get vaccinated against a disease that has killed 750,000 Americans in less than two years. Yet more than a third of Fox viewers believed in or were unsure of at least four of the seven false claims.

Kaiser stresses that its study doesn’t indicate whether Fox’s coverage is causing its viewers to believe misinformation or if the network, for whatever reason, is merely drawing viewers who are more apt to already have such beliefs. That chicken-or-egg caveat is a necessary one for the pollster, but examples abound of the network promoting falsehoods about the pandemic that common sense says would impact the views of its audience.

A prime example (but certainly not the only one) was Fox host Tucker Carlson’s unconscionable report earlier this year claiming that more than 3,300 people during a four-month period had “died after getting” the vaccine — “an average of roughly 30 people every day.” In addition to peddling the logical absurdity that dying “after” vaccination was evidence of dying from vaccination, Carlson didn’t tell his audience that he was using unverified figures from a self-reporting website known as a breeding ground for misinformation.

A federal follow-up found that not one death on Carlson’s report was attributable to the vaccine. Promoting putative conservatism is one thing, but this kind of corrosive misinformation has undoubtedly cost lives.

Fox’s list of sponsors is a moving target, but in the first half of this year, it included such major brands as Liberty Mutual insurance, Applebee’s restaurants and Nutrisystem weight-loss products. Since neither journalistic integrity nor basic humanity seems to hold any sway at the cable network, those and other companies that presumably would like to be seen as good corporate citizens should be insisting that for Fox to keep their business, it must stop promoting dangerous lies. If those advertisers won’t use that lever, their customers should be using it on them.

Woke racism

A great book

Boulderites concerned about racial justice may want to read John Mcwhorter’s new book “Woke Racism: How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black America.” He is Black and a linguist at Columbia University. He first points out that white folks, even those totally in favor of racial justice, are irritated and alienated by those “woke” folks who tell them they cannot say certain things (“microaggression”) or wear certain clothes (“cultural appropriation”) and so forth. Woke folks think that white people are ipso facto privileged and Black people are victims. Mcwhorter argues that this form of antiracism is not a progressive ideology. It is a religion, one that is unintentionally neo-racist.

According to John Mcwhorter, the problem is that a well-meaning but pernicious form of antiracism has become a religion. It has an original sin “white privilege.” It weaponizes cancel culture to ban heretics. The “woke mob” has an evangelical fervor.

And its “anti-racist” fervor is actually a new version of racism. It infantilizes Black people, and sets Black students up for failure. It calls itself “anti-racist” but is, to repeat, a form of racism. It is based on a racial essentialism, argues Mcwhorter, that is virtually the same as that of racists.

“Wokeness” is counter productive. It alienates the very people of good will who are on the side of racial justice. And it misses the point. The real problem is the multitude of unjust systems (education, criminal justice, etc.) that harm Black people. The key first step to help achieve racial justice, he says, would be to abolish the war on drugs.

Anyone who is concerned about racial justice should benefit from this book. And I hope faculty at CU Boulder find ways to assign it in their courses.

COVID-19

Natural immunity nonsense

An Aug.13, 2021 report for the Center for Disease Control studying COVID-19 cases in Kentucky, gives strong evidence that people given the MRNA vaccines have a high level of COVID resistance and are 2.34 times less likely to catch COVID19 than those who were previously infected by the disease and haven’t received the MRNA vaccine. Yes, patients who’ve had COVID-19 can get it again.

The medical community is overwhelmingly in favor of vaccinations for COVID19, even for those who’ve had the disease.

The “natural immunity” nonsense spouted by local anti-vaxxers Ron Laughery (Give ’em a break, Nov. 6) and Mary Pierce (Ron Laughery: Welcome words on natural immunity, Nov. 14), has been driving the collapse of the emergency medical system here in Colorado. This misinformation is causing people to overwhelm the emergency rooms and die because ignorant people have been avoiding vaccines that could stop the pandemic. Of course the same “news” outlets pushing this natural immunity theory also believe that our last national election was a fraud and that Donald Trump is still president; Thanks Daily Camera for giving these dangerous people a voice!

Fur ban

Boulder said ‘yes’ to life

Thank You to those who brought the Humane Clothing Act to the ballot box, those who voted for it, and for the excellent website Furfreeboulder.com

The passage of the “The Humane Clothing Act” is noteworthy because:

1) It is the first Colorado law that explicitly bans (albeit with exemptions) activities of an industry that exploits, harms, and kills animals. Previous passed initiatives regarding “cage-free hens” and gestation crates for pigs, while purportedly making conditions less horrific, still perpetuate the status quo: other-than-human animals as property and commodities, rather than living, feeling individuals. This law actually embodies the true meaning of “humane,” a word often used indiscriminately.

2) The measure passed despite stated opposition (per an Oct. 27, 2021 prnewswire article) from local retailers, hat and boot makers, the Boulder Chamber of Commerce, Natural Fibers Alliance, the Downtown Boulder Partnership, and the Colorado Cattleman’s Association.

While the above-mentioned companies and organizations have reasons they consider valid, all of them exemplify “speciesism,” a word defined by Joan Dunayer (author of the books “Speciesism” and “Animal Equality: Language and Liberation”) as “a failure, on the basis of species membership or species-typical characteristics, to accord any sentient being equal consideration and respect.”

In closing, I don’t know how the Universe will unfold, or whether this legislation will lead to emancipation of our animal brothers and sisters, but for one brief, shining moment the voters said “Yes” to Life, and “No” to exploitation, cruelty and killing.

COVID-19 shot

10 minutes of your day

Did you know that only 61.3% of the population in Colorado has been vaccinated against COVID-19? We need that number to go up!

If more people aren’t vaccinated, our COVID numbers are going to go up again. Dr. Sauna S. Huang, the Medical Director of Epidemiology and Infection Prevention at UCI Health said, “We can expect three more waves in the months ahead unless many more people get vaccinated.”

Also, according to the CDC, “when you are fully vaccinated you can resume domestic travel and refrain from testing before or after travel and from self-quarantine after travel.” Another benefit of being vaccinated is that you don’t need to get COVID tested and can go to places like concerts and sporting events.

I understand that some people might think that the COVID vaccine is dangerous or experimental but according to the CDC, COVID-19 vaccines are not experimental. They went through all the required stages of clinical trials. Extensive testing and monitoring have shown that these vaccines are safe and effective. So please get vaccinated.

We are both vaccinated and it hurts less than the flu shot. It’s only 10 minutes of your day and it is worth it to protect yourself and others.