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CNN’s Lemon defends network after Sanjay Gupta’s admission it lied about podcaster’s COVID treatment 

by mcardinal

Chris Lange, FISM News

 

 

CNN is fiercely defending its false accusation that popular podcaster Joe Rogan took a “horse dewormer” to treat COVID symptoms after its chief medical correspondent admitted the network lied in a telling interview with Rogan. 

During the podcast, Rogan confronted Gupta over his network’s deliberate mischaracterization of the podcaster’s use of ivermectin during his bout with COVID, which anchor Don Lemon characterized as a “deworming drug…touted by fringe right-wing groups.” The drug had been prescribed by Rogan’s physician.

Rogan challenged Gupta on the lie during the three-hour podcast:

Last month, during his coverage of Rogan’s COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment, CNN anchor Don Lemon used an on-air graphic that read, “Joe Rogan announces he has COVID, is taking horse dewormer ivermectin.” The segment included a panel discussion with CNN medical analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner who accused Rogan of “promoting  kind of a crazy jumble sort of folk remedies and internet-prescribed drugs,” adding “He’s not helping matters when he’s promoting this sort of nonsense therapeutic mix.” Anderson Cooper  said Rogan was using “a controversial treatment designed for animals” in an “Anderson 360” segment.

Following the podcast, Gupta attempted to downplay his admission that the network lied, claiming he “walked into the lion’s den” in a tweet, adding that friends warned him not to sit down with the outspoken podcaster. Gupta also pointed to the podcast’s 3-hour length in what may have been a bizarre attempt to justify going off-script from his network’s narrative.

Lemon rushed to defend his “horse dewormer” characterization in Wednesday’s broadcast of “Don Lemon Tonight” with Gupta as a guest anchor.

“He did say something about ivermectin that I think wasn’t actually correct about CNN and lying,” said Lemon. “Ivermectin is a drug that is commonly used as a horse dewormer. So it is not a lie to say that the drug is used as a horse dewormer. I think that’s important – and it’s not approved for COVID, correct?”

Gupta replied, doing little to challenge CNN’s deceptive narrative:

Substack journalist Glenn Greenwald pounced on Gupta’s attempt to walk back his statement, tweeting, “It’s true that ivermectin is not approved for treatment of COVID. That has nothing [to do] with the lie CNN told. They said Rogan took horse dewormer. He didn’t. And CNN and Don Lemon are such little people, with so little integrity, they can’t admit they lied.”

“CNN and @DonLemon are pathetic,” Tweeted nationally-syndicated radio host/podcaster Jesse Kelly. “There is zero ambiguity they lied about Joe Rogan. They told viewers he took horse dewormer: a 100% lie. He took the human version of ivermectin prescribed by his medical doctor. But as I said, lying is not frowned upon at CNN: it’s encouraged. 

The National Library of Medicine National Center for Biotechnology Information published an article last December stating that ivermectin “may reduce the duration” of COVID-19 symptom. 

In another pertinent portion of the interview, Rogan presses Gupta about why their is such a pressure to validate vaccinations for children when there is such little risk. He likens parents not being concerned with a child getting COVID, to Gupta not being concerned in contracting the virus now that he has taken the vaccine.

Rogan also relayed to Gupta that the hesitancy of the government and media to give all the facts about COVID and the vaccine is leading people to question their integrity on other issues as well:

This highlights the divide that has continued to plague the country on vaccines. While it is disappointing to see Gupta backtrack from some of his statements, it was refreshing to see two opposing views sit down for a candid conversation.

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