TOPLINE
After Sinclair Broadcasting on Saturday defended his decision to air a segment on the widely-criticized “Plandemic” viral conspiracy theory on his local television stations, which savagely claims that Dr. Anthony Fauci was responsible for the origin of the coronavirus outbreak. , the show’s host, Eric Bolling, announced that he would delay airing the episode until next week to “provide better context.”
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 5: TV personality Eric Bolling speaks during a town hall meeting … [+]
KEY FACTS
“We are in favor of freedom of expression and a market for ideas and points of view, even if it is incredibly controversial,” said the company, which owns television stations that span the country and still have massive influence despite from the decline of local news. .
The company said that despite allowing the segment to air, it was not “endorsing” the documentary “Plandemic,” which has been banned on YouTube, Facebook and other social media platforms for spreading misinformation about the pandemic.
Hours later, Bolling, the former Fox News presenter of the “America this week” program during which the segment aired, said in a statement on Twitter that he also did not agree with the “Plandemic” claims and that delaying the broadcast of the episode until next week:
In a clip from the segment, which was posted online this week and first reported by Media Matters, a left-wing political watchdog group, Bolling interviews Judy Mikovits, the discredited medical researcher at the center of the “Plandemic” video, who He tells Bolling that Fauci “manufactured” and sent coronaviruses to Wuhan, China.
During the segment, an on-screen banner reads: “DID DR. FAUCI CREATES COVID-19? ”
Bolling told CNN that he does not control the graphics on his show and invited Mikovits to “question and challenge his beliefs,” although the presenter does not reject Mikovits’ claim in the clip, only calling the allegations “strong.”
Crucial quote
“I believe that Dr. Anthony Fauci has manufactured the coronavirus in monkey cell lines and shipped them, and paid for them, to be shipped to Wuhan, China,” Mikovits says during the interview.
Key background
Sinclair Broadcast Group is one of the largest owners of television stations in the country, although it does not have the same name recognition as CNN and Fox News. The company owns nearly 300 local stations that are primarily located in conservative areas of the U.S., according to an analysis by Washington Post. The company has generated controversy several times since President Trump took office. In 2018, Sinclair made waves when his army of presenters read the exact same script in separate broadcasts criticizing “fake news,” echoing a frequent topic of conversation by Trump.
Big number
9 million According to Media Matters, the number of times “Plandemic” was viewed on YouTube before it was removed.
Tangent
This week, Fauci told CNN that there have been “serious threats” against him and his family.
Further reading
Local television stations across the country will broadcast the conspiracy theory of the discredited researcher ‘Plandemic’ on Fauci (CNN)
The Original Plandemic: Unmasking the Mysteriously Familiar Conspiracy Theories Behind the 1889 Russian Flu (Forbes)
Fauci says “serious threats” have been made against his family for the response to the coronavirusForbes)
Sinclair offers “Plandemic” conspiracy theorists a platform to spread their lies about Dr. Fauci and the coronavirus (Media Matters)
Judy Mikovits, the controversial virologist who attacks Anthony Fauci in a viral conspiracy videoScience Magazine)
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