[LI] The other day I noted thatRachel Maddow and others call on networks not to broadcast Trump coronavirus press conferences.I pointed out that the claim by Maddow and others is that Trump presents a false or misleading view of the health problem, but in fact it is Maddow and other liberal talking heads who present the misleading view of events:
Here’s Maddow using prime time to call for the media to censor Trump:
"I know we ought to be getting used to this kind of thing by now, but I’m not. President Trump today, again, just flat-out wrong in public about this malaria drug that has gotten stuck in his mind, quite some distance from the facts," Maddow said on her show.
"If the president does end up saying anything true, you can run it as tape but if he keeps lying like this every day on stuff this important, all of us should stop broadcasting it. Honestly, it’s gonna cost lives," she added on the program....
Notice Maddow is the one lying. The malaria drug can be used for coronavirus off-label, there is anecdotal evidence of its effectiveness, but the FDA requires more systematic testing before off-label use could become on-label use.
Anyone watching the press conference would understand all this context. Anyone watching Rachel Maddow would not....
I hope Trump does the briefings and takes questions 7 days a week. These are the most transparent sessions I’ve seen in any president in my lifetime.
I noted that the pressers were must-watch TV, and that likely was contributing to Trump’s surge in the polls. That presents a problems for the media and Democrats.
But I didn’t have any information on the ratings. Now we do, and they are a big hit.