Friend,

During a press conference last week, President Trump discussed the alleged benefits of a drug called chloroquine in treating coronavirus — even though the FDA hasn't approved the medication's use for this illness. After the press conference a couple in their 60s ingested a form of the drug: One of them died and the other is in critical condition.

Right-wing broadcasters with millions of followers are also spreading dangerous misinformation about COVID-19. The FCC has rules that ban this kind of abuse of the public airwaves: Tell the agency it must rein in misinformation about coronavirus before it costs more lives.

Thanks!

Lucia

COVID-19 Alert

Friend,

The president is spreading deadly misinformation about COVID-19 and one person died — arguably, as a result of it. Tell the FCC it must rein in misinformation about coronavirus before it costs more lives.

President Trump has spent weeks downplaying the virus and spouting lies in his press conferences, standing in the way of a unified national response to the pandemic and contributing to the rapidly spreading disease.

And last week, Trump talked about the alleged benefits of a drug called chloroquine in treating coronavirus. But the FDA has not approved chloroquine for this illness and studies of its safety and effectiveness are just beginning. After hearing this press conference, a couple in their 60s ingested the drug because they believed it could prevent them from becoming sick. Now, one of them has passed away and the other is in critical condition.¹

The Federal Communications Commission has rules on the books against broadcasters spreading dangerous misinformation and the agency needs to enforce them, even if the source of that misinformation is the president of the United States. Tell the FCC to do its job and stop the spread of misinformation during this public-health crisis.

As president, Trump has a responsibility to be truthful about the pandemic — but every time he talks about COVID-19 it becomes harder to separate truth from fiction. With news stations across the country airing his remarks, people could continue to die as a result of Trump’s misinformation about coronavirus.

Many conservative outlets are echoing the Trump administration’s tone about the pandemic by downplaying the virus, spreading conspiracy theories or spouting racist comments targeting Asian people. iHeartRadio, Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity are all guilty of spreading this kind of misinformation in the early weeks of the COVID-19 crisis.

You can help us push the FCC to hold broadcasters accountable. Tell the FCC to stop the spread of misinformation about COVID-19 on the public airwaves NOW.

An FCC regulation makes it clear that broadcasters are not permitted to knowingly spread false information that could cause public harm.² Coronavirus is a deadly and highly contagious virus, and downplaying it or giving people false hope about unproven treatments could quite literally cost thousands of lives.

Thanks for all that you do. We hope you’re safe and well during this unsettling time.

Lucia
freepress.net

1. “Man Dies After Taking Chloroquine in an Attempt to Prevent Coronavirus,” NBC News, March 24, 2020

2. “Hoaxes,” Federal Communications Commission