MSNBC's Chris Hayes tore into Rupert Murdoch and his minions at Fox and the NY Post for their dangerous lies during the pandemic, and rightfully called Murdoch "one of the most destructive people on the planet."
December 19, 2020

We've been pointing out the fact that Fox is a public health menace for some time now with all of the lies and disinformation they've been peddling, from going along with Trump in downplaying the pandemic, to promoting his dangerous and irresponsible super-spreader rallies, to railing against lockdowns and lying about whether masks work, to giving Mitch McConnell cover for refusing to take up a relief bill, to you name it.

Sadly, way too many in the corporate media still treat Fox as though they're a legitimate news source, and not dangerous right-wing propaganda. Chris Hayes has been one of the few out there blasting Fox for their dangerous lies, especially since the pandemic began, and he did it again this Friday when he ripped into raging hypocrite Rupert Murdoch now that he was among the first to get the newly approved coronavirus vaccine, and his media properties Fox News and the New York Post, and in particular, his "minion" Tucker Carlson, who was discouraging people to get vaccinated during yet another dangerous diatribe this week.

For the past nine months or so, Rupert Murdoch-owned media entities have by and large waged a war against public health and the scientific consensus on containing the coronavirus. On Fox News and elsewhere, they've been playing down the virus and peddling just outright lies and pushing junk science and elevating cranks, all of which has tangibly, materially contributed to behavior that has made the pandemic worse.

And what makes it all the more infuriating is that, as we have noted, while Fox hosts have been dismissing the experts and suggesting that lockdowns don’t work and ridiculing people that avoid the office, and follow public health guidelines, many Fox News employees have been working remotely, literally at the same time.

And so, now, we arrive at the question of the vaccine. And last night, one of Rupert Murdoch's minions went on air to coyly just ask questions and rail against the offensive pro-vaccine propaganda that's been propagated by all corners of the media, the elite consensus that you should get the vaccine.

Quote, on the question of the coronavirus vaccine, our leaders are definitely not pro-choice. Their view is, do what you are told and don't complain.” Of course, no one is actually telling you what to do. The vaccine is voluntary.

In fact, that is literally the reason there is a public relations push to get people to get vaccinated. To persuade them in a free country, precisely because it's not legally required. The notion that there is something that nefarious and suspicious behind people like Mike Pence encouraging you to get the vaccine is of course nonsense.

Of course, this is the same person who questioned whether lockdowns work, and literally the reason lockdowns work is the germ theory of disease, which, it's safe to say is settled science. I mean, if you don't believe me, just look what happened in Europe, where the second wave slowed last month after new lockdowns.

But of course, all this contrarian posturing is just chum thrown into the water for ratings they can then monetize. It's not meant to be real or serious advice, in fact, Fox News's own lawyers have argued that this particular Rupert Murdoch minion is not a provider of the news as we know it, and facts as we commonly understand them and the audience knows this.

It's a remarkable thing for your own attorney to say about you. And so, given all that context, it is not surprising that 89-year-old Rupert Murdoch himself, who of course at that age is high risk, took a convoy of Range Rovers to get his vaccine on Wednesday via the British National Health Service, the socialized medicine provider of the UK.

Murdoch even thanked essential workers and the staff of the National Health Service, an institution that is held up as an absolutely demonic specter by Fox News in American health care debates and Murdoch also strongly encouraged people around the world to get the vaccine, precisely the the kind of group-think propaganda his network was railing against.

Hayes wrapped things up by tearing into the NY Post's Dean Balsamini and Susan Edelman who wrote the bullying, abusive article that doxxed a 23-year-old New York city paramedic, who was so hard up for cash that she resorted to selling nude photographs of herself online.

HAYES: Who cares, there is no news value in the fact. The only news value in that fact, is that the people in the front lines fighting the pandemic are not getting paid enough to make ends meet, but that was not the point of the story.

The point was to bully and belittle this woman and make her life miserable, for no purpose, no other purpose than some sadistic flex of power and some cruel enjoyment that the audience might get. And this whole thing looks like an ambush. In a GoFundMe appeal, Kwei described her own life, her dreams and her hard work, her struggle for living wage and how the New York Post reporter did not initially reveal his angle on the story.

Once he did, she says, I told him my safety and job were going to be at risk if he posted this article. He truly did not care. He went on to call my employer and my mother.

The reporters who wrote the story anyway, despite Kwei's appeal, are Dean Balsimini and Susan Edelman. You should know who these people are. Here is Dean Balsomini's sneering article about wearing a MAGA hat in New York city, complete with photo of the author.

This person you're seeing there is someone who tried to use his position in the Rupert Murdoch empire to basically ruin the life of someone who is spending all of her time trying to save other people's lives.

This man you're seeing there, Dean Balsomini is a disgrace to journalism, but that's s not at all surprising, because that's the kind of enterprise Rupert Murdoch runs. Just another day in the life of one of the most destructive people on the planet.

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