New York Times Being Held Accountable For COVID Claims

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, media outlets were quick to silence stories that claimed the virus was anything other than naturally occurring.

The New York Times’ Apoorva Mandavilli called anyone who so much as suggested other possibilities a racist.

This is a twin tale of bad journalism and bad science. The appalling truth is that both science and journalism have been telling us untruths for political reasons. We’ve been fed what is politically convenient rather than the actual truth. Both of these are gross violations of what both science and journalism are supposed to be about – particularly journalism from an outlet with the resources to do its own investigation.

One of the theories shouted down was the lab leak theory, which says COVID-19 did not start in the wet food market in Wuhan, rather, it started in the laboratory in that city. The laboratory that was doing research into varied coronaviruses (there are many different coronaviruses, including COVID-19).

That it did all start in Wuhan is pretty much beyond doubt. But which of those two – a natural virus, just one of those things that happens, or a dreadful scientific mistake? That was a question the New York Times and others refused to answer.

Now, it appears those questioning the virus’s origins were right to question it.

So Accuracy in Media sent a mobile billboard and parked it directly in front of the New York Times. We all know that during the pandemic, people turned to legacy outlets such as the Times for answers. Rather than informing them, they were shamed for asking the very questions they should have asked.

So we sent the billboard to ensure they know that we will not forget what they did.

They told their readers stop thinking about the lab leak theory because those who hold it are racists. That’s the whole point of science, that we divorce facts from whatever about the people who state those facts. We don’t filter facts through what we’d prefer or through the consideration of the implications. Instead, we state the facts and then build our theories upon them.

Another example from the New York Times:

G.O.P. Senator’s Report on Covid Origins Suggests Lab Leak, but Offers Little New Evidence

The report, signed by Senator Richard Burr, foreshadows a new wave of political wrangling over Covid’s origins if Republicans gain control of the House or Senate.

The entire consideration is about the politics of what might happen. Entirely zero consideration is given to whether the claims are actually true – you know, facts. But whether they’re facts or not is the very thing we’re all interested in.

This is a failure of both science and journalism. And the Times is the perfect example of how what it reports is filtered through politics first. We’re being told what they think we should know. What we want to be told is the facts and we’ll make up our own minds at that point.

We’re still letting the Times know that we have not forgotten. Click here to join us and take action now.

This article originally appeared in Accuracy in Media. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News. Republished with permission.