MSNBC Contributor Files FTC Complaint Against Fox News Alleging Lies and Misinformation (7 Cartoons)
It seems the United States of America has entered uncharted territory.
A major news outlet in this country is asking the federal government to shut down a competitor who they claim is killing people because they are questioning the official government line on covid vaccines.
Typically, when Fox News spews lies or misinformation on political issues, my response is a mix of fact-checking and eye rolls. But the current misinformation campaign about the Covid-19 vaccine from some of Fox News’ most popular hosts demands more than a typical response given lives are on the line.
That’s why I filed a complaint this week with the Federal Trade Commission against Fox News for possible violations of the Covid-19 Consumer Protection Act. That law, enacted in March 2020, makes it “unlawful” for a corporation or individual “to engage in a deceptive act or practice in or affecting commerce associated with the treatment, cure, prevention, mitigation, or diagnosis of COVID–19.” My goal in filing this case is to prompt the agency to investigate and bring an end to the apparently deceptive information Fox News has been selling to the consumers of its channel.
As a lawyer, I understand that my complaint versus Fox News may seem beyond the traditional scope of the FTC’s work. However, given the FTC’s expanded powers under the new Covid-19 Consumer Protection Act to protect the public from deceptive information related to the treatment or prevention of Covid-19, I believe this complaint fits squarely within the spirit of its new mandate.
In addition, Fox News is a for-profit business that is selling its product — information — to the public in exchange for cable subscription fees. The FTC is the perfect agency to protect the public from any person or entity peddling false information about Covid-19 vaccines in pursuit of pecuniary gain. (If the commission decides it doesn’t have jurisdiction, then it’s imperative that Congress expand the Covid-19 Consumer Protection Act to explicitly empower the FTC to investigate media outlets misleading consumers on Covid-related issues.)
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People receiving accurate information about the Covid vaccines is literally a matter of life and death.
So what evidence does Mr. Obeidallah present during this segment? He claims Tucker Carlson questioned the effectiveness of the vaccines:
“For example, Tucker Carlson in April made comments on his top-rated Fox News show about the vaccine that were deemed a “pants on fire” lie by nonpartisan fact-checkers.
“If the vaccine is effective, there is no reason for people who’ve received a vaccine to wear masks or avoid physical contact,” Carlson told his millions of viewers. “Maybe it doesn’t work, and they’re simply not telling you that,” he added irresponsibly.
Carlson continued on with more baseless info: “Well, you’d hate to think that, especially if you’ve gotten two shots. But what’s the other potential explanation? We can’t think of one.”
In my opinion what Tucker Carlson had to say in that segment was perfectly reasonable. Also he did not question whether or not the vaccines themselves were effective but whether or not the government guidance made sense.
Contrary to what leftist media types believe we are allowed to question what the government and public health officials tell us. Especially after so many flip-flops over the past year.
Obeidallah then used another example where Laura Ingraham touted natural immunity for those who have already had covid:
“Just one example of potentially dangerous misinformation about the vaccine that Media Matters flagged outside of its report occurred on the July 13 episode of Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle,” where the host, Laura Ingraham, touted “natural immunity” over the Covid-19 vaccine. Overall, Media Matters concluded in its report that Fox News is “leading the charge to discredit accepted science with misinformation and fearmongering.”
Contrary to what Mr. Obeidallah claims we are allowed to question the official narrative, even if it means life or death, which in this case it actually does.
Both examples he gave, Carlson and Ingraham, are examples of media types actually doing their jobs by questioning authority. Which apparently was acceptable prior to January but not so much any more.
The minute we are not allowed to question government experts and scientists is the minute our freedom dies completely.
This complaint to the FTC will likely go no where and is little more than a publicity stunt but it does show exactly how these people think and what they have in store for us if they ever gain complete power over us.
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