COVID-19 Alert

Friend,

Misinformation about COVID-19 will cost people their lives. And right now there’s a ton of false information about coronavirus circulating on the airwaves.

The Federal Communications Commission has rules on the books to deal with this kind of misuse and abuse of the public airwaves. Tell the FCC to stop the spread of misinformation about COVID-19 on the public airwaves NOW.

The Washington Post just released a frightening video that illustrates how Fox News downplayed coronavirus in the early weeks of the crisis. The network was encouraging its viewers not to take the virus seriously in a moment when everyone in the country needed to take action to save the lives of their loved ones and neighbors.

Worse still, Fox News’ talking points quickly spread to AM radio shows and elsewhere on broadcast TV: Fox’s Sean Hannity used his widely syndicated radio show to call the coronavirus a “fraud” designed by the so-called deep state to sow panic. And fellow conservative Rush Limbaugh used his radio show to suggest that the virus was a plot by China to destroy the U.S. economy.

Tell the FCC to do its job and stop the spread of misinformation during this public-health crisis.

The FCC has made it clear that “rigging or slanting the news is a most heinous act against the public interest.“¹ Coronavirus is a deadly and highly contagious virus, and downplaying it will quite literally cost thousands of lives.

This pandemic is making it clear how quickly misinformation spreads and how damaging it can be. The FCC has a responsibility to hold broadcasters accountable for what they air.

Sign the petition: Tell the FCC to step up and stop broadcasters like Hannity and Limbaugh from spreading more lies about coronavirus.

Thanks for all that you do,

Lucia, Collette, Candace and the rest of the Free Press team
freepress.net

1. “FCC Rules on News Distortion,” Federal Communications Commission