CBS Finally Covers Fauci’s Pandemic-Era Texts About Covid Vaccine, Pregnant Women

Tuesday’s CBS Evening News shattered the bias by omission seen across the flagship morning and evening newscasts of ABC, CBS, and NBC regarding pandemic text messages from Dr. Anthony Fauci, which showed Fauci privately showing initial concern about pregnant women and the Covid-19 vaccine while voicing full-throated support for taking it in public.

All told, anchor Tony Dokoupil covered it for a healthy two minutes and 52 seconds across a stunning two segments, leaving ABC and NBC as having yet to cover it on any of their flagship shows (ABC’s Good Morning America and World News Tonight, and NBC’s Today and Nightly News). In addition, Wednesday’s CBS Mornings chose not to follow Evening News, meaning they have yet to cover the findings.

Regardless of one’s view about the vaccine, the texts – released by Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) and a Senate subcommittee – showcased another example of a leading public health official – seen by the largely godless elitist media as a deity – choosing not to level set with the public.

“We turn now to new developments in those two Republican-led Senate investigations into Dr. Anthony Fauci and his handling of the COVID pandemic,” Dokoupil began, adding they opened “a rare window into the private conversations of our public health leaders at the height of the crisis and on an issue of maximum public concern.”

Dokoupil even named it: “Was it safe for pregnant women to take the vaccine?”

He continued:

In the messages, Dr. Fauci acknowledged the lack of data and a concern that since many people experienced a fever after the second vaccine dose, it “theoretically could be associated with miscarriage in the 1st trimester.” Just days later, in a public conversation, he didn't mention that theoretical risk, and though he advised caution, he cited no red flags at that time, based on about 10,000 pregnant women who were being tracked.

Without weighing in on the vaccine itself, Dokoupil correctly opined: “The point of going over this again is not to look back with 2020 hindsight, but to consider what disclosures like these mean for the public's trust in the health recommendations we all rely on.”

The second segment – an interview with OB-GYN Dr. Serena Chen with CCRM Fertility of New Jersey – was a different story.

In response to Dokoupil’s generic question of “what do you make of” what Fauci said, Chen gushed they showed “somebody who is an expert, a global expert in infectious diseases, looking at data, and having a conversation with other expert colleagues about what is going on,” and had “to make a big decision.”

“Ultimately, though, when you look at the data, the risks and the benefits were really clear at the time,” she added.

Dokoupil pressed on the glaring reality of her first answer, showing she was fine with what one might charitably deduce were some white lies on Fauci’s part: “The reason people react to this is because there appears to be this gap between what’s being said in private with all this uncertainty and doubt and then what’s being said in public. How do you read that?”

Chen spent the remaining time focused on the present, admitting it all worked out in the end. So, in essence, hiding information for the public worked out for the best (click “expand”):

CHEN: I think that what he said in public, ultimately, obviously, is the right thing. This is our recommendation today that all pregnant women should get the COVID vaccine every year, and the flu vaccine, because we still know, as he knew then, that the risks of COVID are so much higher than the vaccine, even though there may have been some concerns about fever.

DOKOUPIL: The recommendation today is what?

CHEN: To get the vaccine absolutely. If you’re pregnant, you are more vulnerable. You’re much more likely to get a serious complication or even have a higher rate of death from COVID or the flu and those vaccines are really critical to protecting you and your baby.

To see the relevant CBS transcript from August 11, click here.