HBO host and comedian Bill Maher argued that liberal media has been “wrong a lot” regarding COVID-19 during his Sunday appearance on “The Ben Shapiro Show.”
Maher cited a March 21, 2021, New York Times piece that reported 41% of Democrats believed over 50% of COVID-positive individuals had to be hospitalized, when in fact, only 1-5% of those contracting the virus will end up in the hospital.
“That’s a crazy number, to be off that much. No wonder they think you need a mask everywhere. If you think half the people who get it need to go to the hospital when it’s really 1%. How did they get that bad of information in their heads? Fox News and the right-wing has a lot to answer for a lot of misinformation out there, put climate change at the top of that list. But the left-wing media should answer for that. How did your audience get that bad of an idea in their head?”
“Modern medicine, it’s wonderful. But you’re wrong about a lot. Stop being arrogant. Don’t look at me like you’ve got the white coat on and the stethoscope around your neck, ‘just do as we say because when have you ever been wrong?’ My answer, a lot. You’ve been wrong about a lot,” he argued.
The host said over 75% of people who died from the virus were over 65-years-old and the majority were unvaccinated. He added that a large portion of fatalities involved obese individuals. The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said 81% of COVID deaths occur in people over the age of 65, and chances of hospitalization triples in overweight and obese individuals. (RELATED: ‘Scaring The Sh*t Out Of People’: Bill Maher Blasts Liberal Media For Making People ‘Afraid To Go Out Of The House’)
“If you are a news organization, wouldn’t you be talking about that fact all the time, and yet we’re at such a crazy place with obesity, it is the ultimate third rail, that is the ultimate third rail you just do not talk about it and of course, we need to talk about it,” he said. “That’s the real epidemic, not coronavirus.”
The media repeatedly claimed that the lab leak theory was “debunked” and a “conspiracy.” The Washington Post edited its original headline, “Tom Cotton keeps repeating a coronavirus conspiracy theory that was already debunked,” to say that “scientists have disputed” in June 2021.
Several media outlets downplayed basic facts on lab leak theory for over a year, including that Chinese authorities arrested citizens for telling the truth about the virus and a Chinese researcher’s report that COVID probably originated in a lab.
Former President Donald Trump confronted NBC reporter Kristen Walker in March of 2020 for her network allegedly calling him “racist” for imposing a travel ban on China after the virus’ outbreak. Vox criticized the travel bans suggesting that they are xenophobic and racist in March 4, 2020, with a headline “Why pandemics activate xenophobia.”
Maher said in January that he is “over COVID” and refused to receive a booster shot, saying he was afraid of “the reaction of COVID” rather than the virus itself.