[Chicks]

Anatomy of a faux scandal: Right-wing media uses misleading local story to suggest coronavirus cover-up

https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/18/media...dia/index.html

If you don't get your news from right-wing media, it is likely that you haven't heard about this story. But for those who do rely on outlets such as Fox News or Breitbart for information, a scandal of towering proportions has been brewing in Nashville, Tennessee.

Let me walk you through what happened: On Wednesday, Fox 17 in Nashville, a Sinclair-owned station, published what sounded like an explosive report. The story alleged that the mayor's office covered up data showing low spread of the coronavirus at restaurants and bars. It essentially suggested that city officials did not disclose the info so that they could justify keeping local businesses shut down.

The story -— since taken down — reverberated through the right-wing media universe. It was featured on sites like Breitbart, The Daily Wire and The Gateway Pundit, and ultimately made its way up to major figures like Donald Trump Jr., who tweeted, "The Dem Mayor of Nashville KNOWINGLY LIED ABOUT COVID DATA to justify shutting down bars & restaurants, killing countless jobs & small businesses in the process. Everyone involved should face jail time." On Fox News, Tucker Carlson led his Thursday night program with it. "CORONAVIRUS COVER-UP IN NASHVILLE," the chyron on his program blared.

The problem? The crux of the story was simply not true...

... which is exactly what reich-wing media does, time and time again. Trumpkin fools, who ONLY get their "news" from such disreputable outlets, then spread the lies far and wide, believing every word as gospel. Sad!