Like they were fighting a nicotine addiction, NBC Nightly News just didn’t want to give up wearing the masks. Last year, NewsBusters documented NBC’s “despair porn” cycle where the network would cheer on crippling lockdowns then mourn for the devastation they wrought. Well, it was a new version of that concept on Thursday as the network tried to spread fear of the CDC’s new no masks for the vaccinated guideline. Anchor Lester Holt even tried to get Dr. Anthony Fauci to disagree with it.
As he came on the air, Holt tried to ride the line of supporting the move while stoking suspicion and fear:
It's the news we have hoped for for over a year and yet there are mixed reactions tonight. Americans wondering if they're ready to drop the virus defense the mask has provided and if the decision was perhaps rushed, a response to building pressure from Congress and the public. But officials say it's really all about the success of the vaccines. At least one dose in the arms of over 152 million American adults.
As part of their first segment, correspondent Miguel Almaguer talked about how there were still COVID hotspots despite very low numbers throughout the country. “Tonight states like Washington, Oregon, and Michigan are still dealing with COVID hot spots. Hospitalizations there have also been an issue. In regions where COVID cases are still a problem, those face mask mandates may not go away any time soon,” he warned against the new rules.
During his report, Almaguer hinted that the CDC may have changed the guidelines because of Republican pressure (Click “expand”):
ALMAGUER: The CDC's sudden change comes two days after a grilling on Capitol Hill over confusing restrictions.
SEN. BILL CASSIDY (R-LA): The American people have just – just lost patience with us.
ALMAGUER: The agency faced pressure to ease mandates as new infections plummet. Now, the nation taking a major step forward. An about-face over face masks for the vaccinated.
The idea that the CDC had lifted the mask rules for the vaccinated because they caved to pressure was something Holt admitted to asking Fauci about. “I asked Dr. Fauci if there was any outside pressure political or otherwise behind the new guidelines and he said there was none,” he said.
And in their interview, Holt’s first question was a desperate attempt to get him to swat down the relaxed rules. “So, my first question is really of a personal nature. Do you feel good about this mask decision today? Would you have preferred that you wait a bit longer,” he probed.
“No. Actually, Lester, I feel very good about it and I’m very much in favor of it,” Fauci shot him down. “People who’ve been vaccinated now, they really do need to get the feel that we are approaching some form of normality.”
Meanwhile, NBC had correspondent Stephanie Gosk stoking hesitance of the world getting back to normal. “But after months and months emphasizing that masks save lives, such an abrupt shift in guidance may create some anxiety,” she cautioned.
Following some soundbites of people that were afraid to ditch their masks, Gosk spotlighted an NBC doctor that didn’t think her patients were smart enough to handle it:
DR. KAVITA PATEL [MSNBC contributor]: I am very nervous that people, including my own patients, are going to be not only confused but also feel like they should still wear masks because they don't know if they trust the person next to them.
“Creating such a sharp distinction between the vaccinated and unvaccinated will also complicate rules for business owners. There is no easy way to prove the staff or customers are fully vaccinated,” Gosk whined.
She concluded: “Almost everywhere we go indoors, there’s a requirement to wear a mask. It has been one of the most contentious issues of this pandemic. There may now be an expectation that things will change but rolling back the rules could end up being just as difficult as rolling them out.”
So it appears that as a new dawn arrived and the world got back to normal, NBC desperately wanted to keep us stuck in the dark times.
This fear of getting back to normal and opposition to no masks for the vaccinated was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from Dove and Norton Antivirus. Their contact information is linked so you can tell them about the biased news they fund.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
NBC Nightly News
May 13, 2021
7:01:48 p.m. EasternLESTER HOLT: Good evening. Are you ready to lose the mask? In a turning point of the country's pandemic response, the head of the CDC announced late today new guidelines that allow the fully vaccinated to leave their masks off in most settings. Outdoors and indoors.
It's the news we have hoped for for over a year and yet there are mixed reactions tonight. Americans wondering if they're ready to drop the virus defense the mask has provided and if the decision was perhaps rushed, a response to building pressure from Congress and the public. But officials say it's really all about the success of the vaccines. At least one dose in the arms of over 152 million American adults.
Tonight president Biden calling this a great day. We have a lot to tell you about.
(…)
MIGUEL ALMAGUER: The CDC's sudden change comes two days after a grilling on Capitol Hill over confusing restrictions.
SEN. BILL CASSIDY (R-LA): The American people have just – just lost patience with us.
ALMAGUER: The agency faced pressure to ease mandates as new infections plummet. Now, the nation taking a major step forward. An about face over face masks for the vaccinated.
[Cuts back to live]
Tonight states like Washington, Oregon, and Michigan are still dealing with COVID hot spots. Hospitalizations there have also been an issue. In regions where COVID cases are still a problem, those face mask mandates may not go away any time soon.
(…)
7:06:04 p.m. Eastern
STEPHANIE GOSK: But after months and months emphasizing that masks save lives, such an abrupt shift in guidance may create some anxiety.
(…)
DR. KAVITA PATEL: I am very nervous that people, including my own patients, are going to be not only confused but also feel like they should still wear masks because they don't know if they trust the person next to them.
GOSK: Creating such a sharp distinction between the vaccinated and unvaccinated will also complicate rules for business owners. There is no easy way to prove the staff or customers are fully vaccinated.
[Cuts back to live]
Almost everywhere we go indoors, there’s a requirement to wear a mask. It has been one of the most contentious issues of this pandemic. There may now be an expectation that things will change but rolling back the rules could end up being just as difficult as rolling them out.
(…)
7:07:07 p.m. Eastern
HOLT: For greater clarity in all this I spoke just a short time ago with Dr. Fauci. Dr. Fauci.
[Cuts to video]
Well Dr. Fauci, a lot of Americans put a lot of trust and faith in you. So, my first question is really of a personal nature. Do you feel good about this mask decision today? Would you have preferred that you wait a bit longer?
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI: No. Actually Lester, I feel very good about it and I’m very much in favor of it. People who’ve been vaccinated now they really do need to get the feel that we are approaching some form of normality. And one of the things that felt quite abnormal and different the way they like to feel is, that outdoors you can understand the breeze blowing and there’s very little chance of anything happening, but indoors it’s still quite safe.
If you're vaccinated, the data that's accumulated now about the real-world effectiveness of a vaccine really makes the risk of getting infected extraordinarily low. And if you do get infected, the risk of getting any serious disease is even lower.
(…)
HOLT: I asked Dr. Fauci if there was any outside pressure political or otherwise behind the new guidelines and he said there was none.
