If you’re a conservative who spreads misinformation, the Media Research Center not only doesn’t think you should ever face consequences for doing so, it will create a victim narrative around those consequences and help you deny that you’re spreading information — or, even better, deny that “misinformation” even has an objective definition.
The MRC’s manufactured victim du jour is right-leaning podcaster Joe Rogan, whom the MRC is a major fan of, in no small part because he once called CNN’s Brian Stelter a “motherfucker.” In a December podcast, Rogan had on notorious COVID misinformer (and, therefore, a WND favorite) Peter McCullough, who took advantage of the opportunity to spread even more COVID misinfo without any serious challenge or questioning. When YouTube pulled the plug on a copy of that podcast, Alexander Hall rushed to play the “censorship” card (never mind that the podcast was still available and uncensored on Spotify) in a Dec. 15 post:
YouTube censored an interview between world famous podcaster Joe Rogan and Texas-based cardiologist Peter McCullough about the COVID-19 pandemic.
If the so-called experts are so sure that they have managed the COVID-19 pandemic well, they seem a bit over concerned about allowing commentators to contradict them. Dr. McCullough explained to Joe Rogan there was a “suppression of early treatment” in order to “create acceptance for, and then promote, mass vaccination.” The unverified Twitter account ostensibly representing McCullough posted a link to what appears to be his entire interview with Rogan on YouTube. A tweet from the account, prophetically quipped, “Alright, we’ll see how long this lasts up, great chat with @JoeRogan on health & C19 #PeterMcCulloughMD.”
Sure enough, the video linked in the tweet has been censored by YouTube with a statement that reads: “This video has been removed for violating YouTube’s Community Guidelines.” The “learn more” link routed to a Community Guidelines overview, including a link to YouTube’s so-called COVID-19 medical misinformation policy.
This being the MRC, Hall will not admit there was any misinformation whatsover in the podcast, whcyis why he stuck “so-called” in there — never mind that fact-checkers found at least 18 instances of false or misleading statements by McCullough in his Rogan appearance.
Later that day, Brian Bradley cited the “censored” interview with “world famous podcaster Joe Rogan” in a post under the hyperbolic headline “New AUTHORITARIAN Twitter Policy to Ban Users for COVID-19 Wrongthink.”
Later that month, McCullough’s compadre in spreading COVID misinfo, Robert Malone (another WND favorite), got banned from Twitter. Cue the victimhood from Catherine Salgado in a Dec. 30 post:
mRNA vaccine inventor Robert Malone was suspended by Twitter for alleged “misleading and potentially harmful information related to COVID-19.”
Dr. Malone is an innovator in the field of mRNA vaccine technology used in COVID vaccines. Twitter did not warn Dr. Malone before the suspension, according to The Epoch Times. Malone told The Epoch Times that Twitter previously notified him that users complained about his posts but no action had been taken.
According to Malone and The Epoch Times, Twitter suspended the scientist’s 500,000-follower account for the vague reason: “Violating our policy on spreading misleading and potentially harmful information related to COVID-19. You may not use Twitter’s services to share false or misleading information about COVID-19 which may lead to harm.”
Malone has repeatedly voiced his concerns over the COVID-19 vaccines, based on his own scientific knowledge of the interaction between vaccines and viruses as well as independent studies. He expressed particular concern about COVID vaccines for children based on studies, including one from Hong Kong that said 1 in every 2,700 boys vaccinated with Pfizer’s Comirnaty would develop myocarditis. Malone further told The Epoch Times that natural immunity is better protection from COVID than vaccines. His last tweet reportedly included a video saying Pfizer vaccines cause more illness than they prevent.
Salgado overstates Malone’s involvement by calling him an “mRNA vaccine inventor,” though she’s somewhat closer to the truth whwen she later called him “an innovator in the field of mRNA vaccine technology used in COVID vaccines.” That last video Malone tweeted out — released by the Canadian Covid Care Alliance, an anti-vaxxer group — has been discredited. As for that Hong Kong study Malone is apparently referring to regarding purportedly high instances of myocarditis in young men from the Pfizer vaccine — Salgado linked to an appearance by Malone on the video show hosted by sleazy far-right activist Steve Bannon, which doesn’t exactly help his credibility — Health Feedback reported that “Malone cherry-picked this particular study that found one of the highest incidences of heart inflammation reported so far” and that the study has limitations in the data that undermine any definitive finding of a link between the vaccine and the myocarditis. Health Feedback added: “Malone also didn’t mention that all the cases reported in the study were mild and resolved after simple treatment.”
After establishing himself as a victim, Malone knew where to go to capitalize on it: Rogan’s podcast. Autumn Johnson wrote all about the victimization lovefest in a Dec. 31 post:
Vaccine scientist Dr. Robert Malone spoke with podcaster Joe Rogan about his ban from Twitter.
Malone is an innovator in the mRNA vaccine technology used in COVID-19 vaccines and was suspended for alleged “misleading and potentially harmful information related to COVID-19.”
[…]Rogan called Malone “one of the most qualified people in the world to talk about vaccines.”
“Tech clearly has a censorship agenda when it comes to COVID,” Rogan said, referencing the bans on “misinformation” about the virus and treatments.
Malone said his tweets were about informing people about the science behind the COVID-19 vaccines and added that he has been contacted by multiple attorneys about the ban.
“I try really hard to give people the information and help them how to think–not to tell them what to think,” he said.
Johnson didn’t mention that Malone spouted numerous documented instances of misinformation during his Rogan appearance, totally destroying his claim that all he goes is “give people the information.”
A week later, Malone got banned for LinkedIn. Johnson was joined by Gabriel Pariseau to bestow victimhood status on Malone again in a Jan. 8 post, hyping how “Malone told Joe Rogan that he believes the government is conspiring against him because of his dissenting views.” Johnson and Pariseau refused to admit that Malone spreads misinformation — his victimhood must be preserved, after all.