On Tuesday's The 11th Hour show, MSNBC host Brian Williams falsely labeled Fox News hosts like Steve Doocy and Ainsley Earhardt as "deniers" who are only just admitting that wearing masks saves lives, even though both hosts have urged their viewers to wear masks many times since last spring.
While misleadingly displaying the words "'Fox & Friends' Reports the Facts... Finally" on screen, Williams introduced a Fox News clip from earlier in the day:
Last thing before we go tonight, as you watch the following clip, please remember Americans are now dying at the rate of one per minute. Please remember we've lost over 270,000 of our brothers and sisters -- people who were here with us when the year began -- people who will not see another New Year's Eve. Here now, a moment of clarity and awareness that took place on live TV on the President's favorite morning show, Fox & Friends, and this happened this morning.
Then came a clip that aired at 8:08 a.m. Eastern Tuesday morning in which Fox & Friends co-host Doocy read from a survey finding that, in the month of July, Kansas counties that enforced a mask mandate saw a significant drop in COVID-19 infections while those that lacked enforcement saw a substantial increase. With a tone of irony in his voice, Doocy then quipped: "It means, apparently, masks work."
The Fox host's choice of words might have been a reference back to a debate between himself and fill-in co-host Will Cain from the previous day in which Doocy was arguing in favor of family members wearing masks at home if they had traveled for Thanksgiving while Cain was opposed to the idea.
Williams assumed Doocy was cluelessly realizing or admitting to the effectiveness of masks for the first time as the MSNBC host mockingly snarked: "'Apparently, masks work' -- a breathtaking moment of situational awareness on live television this morning, 10 months, 270,000 lives into this."
He further suggested Fox & Friends was to blame for hundreds of thousands of Americans dying of COVID as he hinted that the show's hosts should be stigmatized:
And this is important. In the rush to a vaccine -- in a rush to get life back to normal -- to have a spring and summer in 2020 that feel like spring and summer, it's important we never forget who the deniers were because those 270,000 mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, husbands and wives -- they ain't coming back. So it's incumbent upon all of us to honor their memory.
But a simple Google search of "masks and fox and friends" would have quickly shown multiple articles about Doocy advocating for mask-wearing on the show, sometimes receiving criticism for doing so.
In fact, the show has promoted the wearing of masks to combat the pandemic many times since late April, including several examples of pushing President Donald Trump on the issue.
On April 30, Earhardt urged viewers to wear a mask and socially distance if they chose to take part in protests to call for a reopening of businesses. On May 19, she also recalled the story of a man who might have caught COVID after not wearing a mask, who now feels guilty because his wife got seriously ill,
On May 8, in a live interview with President Trump, co-host Brian Kilmeade asked the President if he would require the wearing of masks by those serving him in the White House. Kilmeade has also complained several times about Dr. Anthony Fauci and Surgeon General Jerome Adams misleading the public by discouraging mask-wearing early on.
Doocy has especially encouraged mask-wearing many times, On the day before President Trump's July 4 event at Mount Rushmore, he and correspondent Geraldo Rivera urged the President to wear a mask at the event:
GERALDO RIVERA: But he can start by wearing the damn mask at Mount Rushmore
BRIAN KILMEADE: He said he is.
RIVERA: Good, good, God bless him.
DOOCY: Maybe he'll take Kevin McCarthy's suggestion on this program and wear a mask that's red, white and blue. Stay tuned for that.
Doocy also fretted over the scant mask-wearing seen in images of Memorial Day celebrations and of President Trump's rally in Tulsa.
In May, news reader Jillian Mele cited a study from Hong Kong finding that mask-wearing reduces transmission by 75 percent, and, in July, frequent guest Doctor Mehmet Oz cited findings that, in a hair salon in Missouri, masks had been effective in preventing customers from becoming ill after it was discovered that two employees had been working while COVID positive.
And, the day before the clip that Williams pounced on, Doocy had a borderline heated debate with Cain on the issue of whether some people should go so far as to wear masks around family members:
WILL CAIN: I will say this, Steve, I'm not ready to start wearing a mask around my family. I might be like a lot of Americans -- I'm going to hold on to this -- I don't know what we'll call it, individual spirit -- but I'm not going to put on a mask around my family on anybody's advice.
DOOCY: I'm just reporting what the experts are saying.
CAIN: No, no, no.
DOOCY: If you -- because, Will, think about this. You go out and you're at Grandma's house, and then you come home, and Doctor Birx said, if you have in your unit, people who are over 65, you got to protect them. So you would hate to have, you know, somebody my age give it to somebody a little older or vice versa, whereas they are just saying: Just be safe.
This dishonest smear of Fox News by disgraced from NBC Nightly News host Brian Williams was sponsored in part by Fidelty. Their contact information is linked.
Relevant transcripts follow:
April 30
8:14 a.m. Eastern
AINSLEY EARHARDT: And if you're watching us this morning, and if you're going to go to one of these beaches, just social distance. Do the right thing. If you're going to go to a protest, and you're protesting about getting back to work, then do it safely. Wear a mask; social distance; don't stand on top of each other, or there are going to be consequences. Or your beaches are going to be closed so you're not going to be allowed to go out there protesting, which is your God-given right.
STEVE DOOCY: Because -- as Ainsley and Doctor Birx and Doctor Fauci and all the experts have said, the best way to, you know, get us down to where we need to be is by social distancing...
(...)
May 8
8:44 a.m.
BRIAN KILMEADE (interviewing President Donald Trump): One of your valets with the Navy -- he's close to you, serves a lot of your food -- tested positive. Having said that, they say to wear masks in case you or I are positive, that we're not going to give the virus to somebody else. Are you going to, at this point, being that there's so much at stake -- the Vice President, you and all your staff -- are you going to ask for people who serve you food to start wearing a mask -- some of the precautions that we're doing out here?
(...)
May 15
6:34 a.m.
DOOCY: You also say there should be universal masking. Tell us about that.
Dr. MARTY MAKARY, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I'm kind of amused at the discussion around masks because, as a surgeon, I've been wearing a mask most of my adult life, and, you know, the first time it each and you maybe want to rip it off, but you get used to it. And it turns out that it is a very effective strategy, especially for anyone who cannot achieve social distancing. So if you cannot achieve that six-foot distancing at a time when we are still at risk -- at a time when that virus load is still high -- it's very effective in multiple ways.
DOOCY: Absolutely.
(...)
May 19
6:14 a.m.
AINSLEY EARHARDT: So we've got to all work together -- we have to do this safely because, God forbid, this thing fires back up and people start getting infected and infected again, and then we have to go back to what we've been through over the last two months. I read an article about a guy who was ride-sharing -- he drives down in Jupiter, Florida. He was infected, and he said, "I didn't take it seriously in the beginning -- I didn't wear a mask -- my wife is still in the hospital on a ventilator." We have to keep these stories in mind because we don't want to get back to where we were.
If you are going to go out -- if you are going to do, you know, the gym and salons and go to the bars and drink on the sidewalk in New York City, you do it safely and do it with people that you have been quarantined with. And if you see your friends, keep a distance so that we're not all infected again. Think of everybody else, not just yourself, in these situations.
(...)
May 20
7:47 a.m.
JILLIAN MELE; A new study revealing face masks can cut coronavirus transmission by up to 75 percent. Hong Kong University researchers say it shows the effectiveness of masks during the pandemic.
(...)
May 25
6:05 a.m.
DOOCY: And remember, this is a Memorial Day unlike any we've ever had in our entire lives, you know. You could get in the car, but where are you gonna go? You can go to the beach, but we saw those images from places like Boca and Ocean City, Maryland. People need to social distance, and if they don't, they got to wear a mask. Which is so contrary to everything you do, Ainsley, when you go to the beach. Last thing you want to do is wear a mask, but this time, that's what you got to do.
EARHARDT: That's right. And stay with the people that you have been hunkered down with in your home, social distance if you're going to be with your friends.
(...)
June 15
6:14 a.m.
DOOCY: When you're around a lot of people, you got to wear a mask, which is going to be interesting this upcoming weekend when the President has his first rally since the lockdown out in Tulsa where, according to Brad Parscale, they've got 800,000 responses -- people registering to show up at that event. The event only holds 18,000 people. How many of those people are going to be wearing masks on Saturday? Stay tuned for that.
(...)
7:22 a.m.
DOOCY: But I'm sure you saw the surgeon general yesterday say that essentially a lot of people don't want to wear the mask, but he said you actually have more freedom, and you're able to go more places if you have the mask. You were talking about more Republican RNC hand sanitizer -- how about MAGA masks and things like that?
(...)
June 22
6:15 a.m.
DOOCY: We are during a global pandemic, and I don't know who thought it was a good idea to put 20,000 people in a room with masks optional. ... Going forward, if the campaign wants to do big events -- apparently they thought about drive-in movie theaters, but that wasn't big enough -- if they want to do something big, think stadium -- think amphitheater. You know what, think NASCAR track. Lots of room outside, people can social distance and feel safe. The President could still preside over the crowd, but the thought going forward not only has to be
(...)
8:01 a.m.
DOOCY: And we should also point out that one of the -- as you walk into our headquarters here here at 1211 Avenue of the Americas, to be in the building, you need to have a mask on. And so, when we come into the building, we do, but because we are socially distanced, and we've got our own little zones, we are free not to wear it.
(...)
June 23
7:17 a.m.
DOOCY: When you talk about big crowds, Senator Rick Scott of Florida said yesterday that when it comes to the RNC in the month of :August down in Jacksonville, he says that people need to social distance inside the arena, and people need to wear masks. And the Senator was very emphatic about that yesterday at that Tulsa rally where masks were optional. You did see a few, but not many.
(..)
June 29
8:30 a.m.
DOOCY: So, over the next two weeks, do everything you can to social distance and wear a mask, although, you know, Doctor Oz, wearing a mask has become political in the last couple of weeks -- couple of months.
Dr. MEHMET OZ, THE Dr. OZ SHOW: It has, although, for me, it's not about politics -- it's about being kind. You're not protecting yourself -- you're protecting the person opposite you.
(...)
June 30
6:24 a.m.
DOOCY: One of the things I'm hearing from my friends here in New Jersey and New York where I'm sitting right now where we have to wear a mask all the time is people are saying, "You know, I wish the President would put on a mask every once in a while just because it would make him look as if he's taking it seriously and is listening to the CDC because they've made it very clear -- and I know he's tested all the time -- but the masks work.
(RONNA MCDANIEL, RNC CHAIR)
And I understand that, but more states every day are mandating people -- their citizens -- to wear masks, and I think that if the President wore one, it would just set a good example. He'd be a good role model. I don't see any down side to the President wearing the mask in public.
(MCDANIEL)
And I think that, by wearing masks, you can keep the economy open, and closing things is the last thing anybody wants to do. MAGA should now stand for, "Masks Are Great Again."
(...)
July 3
8:06 a.m.
GERALDO RIVERA: But he can start by wearing the damn mask at Mount Rushmore
BRIAN KILMEADE: He said he is.
RIVERA: Good, good, God bless him.
DOOCY: Maybe he'll take Kevin McCarthy's suggestion on this program and wear a mask that's red, white and blue. Stay tuned for that.
(...)
July 15
8:15 a.m.
Dr. MEHMET OZ, HOST OF THE Dr. OZ SHOW: One of the other things that (Doctor Robert) Redfield said is, face coverings basically all give us freedom. We all have a responsibility to protect America. It's actually an act of kindness as well. But if you really want to be free and keep our businesses open, wear those masks. And there were two studies that he mentioned. One was in Jama showing that the Boston hospital system, they dramatically changed virus transmission by adhering to a strict universal mask policy. But the one that was even more important to me, came out in a CDC report showing that there were these two hairdressers in Missouri.
DOOCY: Right.
Dr. OZ: One of them was sick for eight days, and this person was tested positive. In those eight days they managed dozens of clients --
DOOCY: One hundred and fifty clients.
Dr. OZ: Right, but 67 got tested, and those 67 who were actually tested, all tested negative. Now, what was different, despite the fact that these two hairdressers were ill -- again, taking care of 150 plus people -- they were always wearing a cloth mask. And so obviously it works. It seems to prevent the spread of infection. Let's take a lesson from this and, you know, reverse the trend that we're seeing, especially across the South.
(...)
July 7
7:23 a.m.
DOOCY: And the key is, as everybody says, you wear a mask -- we can reopen -- personal safety -- the science has shown that it slows the spread, as we know.
July 22
7:27 a.m.
GRIFF JENKINS: Masks are on the minds of every American in this country. What would like to say specifically this morning about masks and really, if we all just start wearing them -- as the President has suggested would be patriotic -- how much of a difference will that make as we head towards fall?
ALEX AZAR, SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: They make a real difference, and that's what the President's saying. You know, just last week, we put out a study that showed that there were a couple of hairdressers in a salon in Missouri who were infected, and they had active disease for over a week, and they took care of over 140 of their clients. But according to the salon's rules, they wore face coverings, and their customers wore face coverings. And not single client got COVID-19 as a result.
We've seen a turnaround in Phoenix of infection rates just from face coverings and closing gars, so it really can work. So please wear face coverings when in public or in any setting where you cannot socially distance from other people.
(...)
November 30
6:03 a.m.
DOOCY: Doctor Birx said one thing over the weekend that I thought was kind of troubling, but probably realistic. And she said, "If you traveled or if you were with family outside of your normal bubble, just assume that you've got the coronavirus." And she suggested that people get a test within a week if they were out and about and traveled this week. And if you're in your house around your family members, you should probably wear a mask so you don't infect your family.
EARHARDT: Yeah, if you traveled, then you have to play by the rules, and we hope that everyone does just to stay safe so that we don't infect other people.
(...)
WILL CAIN: I will say this, Steve, I'm not ready to start wearing a mask around my family. I might be like a lot of Americans -- I'm going to hold on to this -- I don't know what we'll call it, individual spirit -- but I'm not going to put on a mask around my family on anybody's advice.
DOOCY: I'm just reporting what the experts are saying.
CAIN: No, no, no.
DOOCY: If you -- because, Will, think about this. You go out and you're at Grandma's house, and then you come home, and Doctor Birx said, if you have in your unit, people who are over 65, you got to protect them. So you would hate to have, you know, somebody my age give it to somebody a little older or vice versa, whereas they are just saying: Just be safe.
(...)
BRIAN WILLIAMS: Last thing before we go tonight, as you watch the following clip, please remember Americans are now dying at the rate of one per minute. Please remember we've lost over 270,000 of our brothers and sisters -- people who were here with us when the year began -- people who will not see another New Year's Eve. Here now, a moment of clarity and awareness that took place on live TV on the President's favorite morning show, Fox & Friends, and this happened this morning.
STEVE DOOCY, FOX NEWS HOST (from the December 1 Fox & Friends): Ultimately, what's going on with the pandemic is -- and we don't know exactly how many people may have been infected over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend -- but the number of cases in our hospitals is going through the roof in 41 states -- it's going up. I read a great survey in a -- they looked at the scientific data in my home state of Kansas. In the month of July, they had a statewide mandate for masks.
Now, the problem with Kansas was that some counties would actually enforce it, and other counties would not. In the counties that enforced the mask mandate, the number of cases of coronavirus actually went way down, and, in the counties where they did not enforce he mask mandate, it went way up.
AINSLEY EARHARDT, FOX NEWS HOST; Really?
DOOCY: Yeah.
EARHARDT: Huh, you just have to do it smartly and do it safely.
DOOCY: It means, apparently, masks work.
WILLIAMS; "Apparently, masks work" -- a breathtaking moment of situational awareness on live television this morning, 10 months, 270,000 lives into this.
And this is important. In the rush to a vaccine -- in a rush to get life back to normal -- to have a spring and summer in 2020 that feel like spring and summer, it's important we never forget who the deniers were because those 270,000 mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, husbands and wives -- they ain't coming back. So it's incumbent upon all of us to honor their memory.
