Seattle’s NPR station says it will no longer broadcast Donald Trump’s coronavirus briefing live because he spews too much false and misleading information.
The country is currently in an emotional and economic crisis as it tries to gather resources amid the COVID-19 pandemic. But much of our lack of preparation is due to Trump downplaying and flat out ignoring the risks of the disease. His lies have become so detrimental that an NPR station in Seattle has decided to remove his live White House briefings about the pandemic completely from its broadcasts. The briefings will still be posted to the station’s corresponding websites.
However, we will not be airing the briefings live due to a pattern of false or misleading information provided that cannot be fact checked in real time. (2)
— KUOW Public Radio (@KUOW) March 24, 2020
“KUOW is monitoring White House briefings for the latest news on the coronavirus — and we will continue to share all news relevant to Washington State with our listeners,” the station tweeted. “However, we will not be airing the briefings live due to a pattern of false or misleading information provided that cannot be fact-checked in real-time.”
After days of belching out misinformation and wrong rhetoric about the virus, Trump is now advising communities to practice social-distancing and stay inside unless it’s for essential business. However, the word vomit king is hoping for the country to get back to work by Easter despite health officials being overwhelmed and underprepared for what the virus may bring.
Trump also lied about the coronavirus tests being available, as well as how long it would take to find a vaccine and the potential benefits of the treatment, according to Deadline. Baller Alert previously reported on Trump lying about the ingredient chloroquine being FDA-approved. While the drug may fight somewhat against the virus, the FDA has not stamped it as an approved treatment.
MSNBC host Rachel Maddow recently called Trump out for spreading misinformation and advised news outlets to stop broadcasting his daily press briefings. “If he keeps lying like he has been every day on stuff this important, all of us should stop broadcasting it,” Maddow said.
Maddow: If Trump is going to keep lying like he has been every day on stuff this important, we should, all of us, stop broadcasting it. Honestly, it's going to cost lives. pic.twitter.com/tMvyrE3YTK
— Maddow Blog (@MaddowBlog) March 21, 2020
She added: “The specific way in which the president is failing now is clear. We have said from the very beginning, ‘watch what they do, not what they say.’ That’s very, very, very relevant here, and I say this not to vent my outrage. I’m over that, frankly, at this point,” she said. “I’m just saying it because I feel like we should inoculate ourselves against the harmful impact of these ongoing false promises and false statements by the president by recognizing that when he’s talking about the coronavirus epidemic, more often than not, he is lying.”
Though stations and news outlets have been criticized by Deputy White House Press Secretary Judd Deere for their decision to cut out of the live briefings, an MSNBC spokesperson said that “after airing the press conference for over an hour we cut away because the information no longer appeared to be valuable to the important ongoing discussion around public health.” Many stations, including CNN, dropped out of TRump’s broadcast because it went past an hour. A spokesperson for CNN said, “If the White House wants to ask for time on the network, they should make an official request. Otherwise, we will make our own editorial decisions.”
