Join this guy in stopping Fox News’ lies about the Covid vaccine! He’d made it really easy to help.
(From Dean Obeidallah) “This is special edition of my newsletter given the dangerous lies that many-although not all—Fox News hosts have been spewing about the Covid vaccine.
On Tuesday, July 20, I filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission against Fox News for possible violations of the Covid-19 Consumer Protection Act. That law, enacted in December 2020, makes it “unlawful” for a corporation or individual “to engage in a deceptive act or practice in or affecting commerce associated with the treatment, cure, prevention, mitigation, or diagnosis of COVID–19.”
My goal in filing this complaint is to prompt the FTC to investigate and bring an end to the apparently deceptive information Fox News has been selling to the consumers of its channel. Given the FTC’s expanded powers under the new Covid-19 Consumer Protection Act to protect the public from deceptive information related to the treatment or prevention of Covid-19, I believe this complaint fits squarely within the spirit of its new mandate. Fox News is a for-profit business that is selling its product — information — to the public in exchange for cable subscription fees.
The FTC is the perfect agency to protect the public from any person or entity peddling false information about Covid-19 vaccines in pursuit of pecuniary gain. I wrote in detail about the legal basis for the claim, the sources that prove Fox News hosts lied about the Covid vaccine and the need for an investigation in my new MSNBC op-ed out today that you can read HERE.
My hope though is that YOU will also file a complaint with the FTC—it literally will take you less than five minutes. Info is below. Let’s not just get angry about the dangerous lies Fox News is spreading that is potentially killing people, let’s do something about it!
ACTION #1: File an FTC complaint:
It’s very simple: Here’s detailed step by step info. Please take a few minutes to save lives from Fox News’s Covid vaccine campaign of lies.
- Here’s the link to file a consumer fraud complaint with the FTC: https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/. When you get to that page click “report now.”
- Then click the button that says “Health” in the column on the left.
- Then click “fake or misleading cure” in column on right that will appear.
- Click “no” for did you pay $.
- Then it asks where did you heard about this: scroll down to: TV.
- For date “first heard” I wrote April 13 because that was Tucker Carlson’s big lie on the vaccines.
- For company write: Fox News owned by Fox Corp, Address: 1211 Avenue Of The Americas NY, NY 10036. Phone: (212) 301-3000. Website: http://www.foxnews.com.
- You will also be asked to include your personal info-share what you feel comfortable with.
- Finally there’s the “Comments” section. You can write in your own words the need for the FTC to investigate Fox News for their lies about the Covid vaccine. (you are limited to 3500 characters) (After that just click submit and you are done.)
Sample complaint:
This is what Dean wrote in his own complaint. He says you are free to use any or all of it for your comments:
I’m submitting this complaint against Fox News for possible violations of the COVID-19 Consumer Protection Act (“CCPA”.) Fox News, as documented by fact checkers, has broadcast on numerous occasions information about the Covid vaccine that was inaccurate or misleading. This conduct would appear to constitute a “deceptive act or practice” that is “associated with the treatment, cure, prevention, mitigation, or diagnosis of COVID–19” in violation of the CCPA.
For example, Tucker Carlson in April made comments on his top-rated Fox News show about the vaccine that “Maybe it doesn’t work, and they’re simply not telling you that.” This statement was deemed a “pants on fire” lie by non-partisan fact checkers. In addition, a report by the media watchdog organization Media Matters released last Friday examined comments made on Fox News between June 28 and July 8. It found that “57 percent of segments about coronavirus vaccines on the network included claims that undermined vaccination efforts.”
Just one example of potentially dangerous misinformation about the vaccine flagged by Media Matters occurred on the July 13 episode on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle” where the host, Laura Ingraham touted “natural immunity” over the Covid vaccine. And tragically it appears Fox News has misled its consumers about the vaccine.
Dr. Rob Davidson, an emergency room physician in western Michigan, in his recent op-ed for NBC News Think wrote that he doesn’t blame his patients who refuse to get vaccinated because they have been fed baseless info. Instead, he noted, “I do blame Fox News and other right-wing media outlets for poisoning the minds of millions of Americans with the deceptive propaganda they spray into living rooms 24/7.”
Fox News is a for profit business that is selling its product — information — to the public in exchange for cable subscription fees. The FTC is the perfect agency protect the public from any person or entity peddling false information about Covid vaccines in pursuit of pecuniary gain. Fox News’ viewers—and the public in general–are entitled to accurate information about Covid so they can protect themselves and their families. The is especially true now given that health risk Covid poses is again growing. Last Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that new cases of the virus — fueled by the Delta variant — are up in the United States roughly 70% from the seven day average last week. Worse, after weeks of decline, the seven-day average of daily deaths have increased 26 percent. Given the Covid-19 Consumer Protection Act’s mandate, the deceptive information being shared by Fox News demands at least an investigation.
Resources:
(Media Matters) Tucker Carlson mocks effectiveness of COVID vaccine and says it doesn’t “actually work in the way they told us”
(CNN) Fox News’ alarming vaccine disinformation is a danger to America
ACTION #2: Tell Rupert Murdoch you see him behind that curtain and continue to de-Fox-ify your life.
Near the end of the video at the top, the two speakers discuss that Fox’s policy is not set by the likes of Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham or Sean Hannity. It’s set by their boss – Rupert Murdoch, a ruthless and already-vaccinated billionaire.
We wrote an action here to:
- Action #1 – Continue to de-FOX-ify your life.
- Action #2 – Write an email, a letter or a postcard to Rupert Murdoch. Copy his son.
- You can copy our rant in its entirety or pick out parts or write your own.
INDIVISIBLE VENTURA 