Right-wing cable network One America News is continuing its months-long campaign against public health by spreading dangerous and bizarre conspiracy theories about the coronavirus and vaccines.
Throughout August, OAN hosts doubled down on presenting their viewers with debunked misinformation in an unhinged attempt to discourage them from following mask mandates and getting vaccinated. With help from conservative pundits, conspiracy theorists, and members of the “Disinformation Dozen” — 12 individuals who are reportedly responsible for the majority of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation spread online — OAN hosts have warned viewers that the Biden administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and “high prophet of pharma” Dr. Anthony Fauci are hiding the truth about COVID-19 and its treatments to push vaccines and steal our freedoms.
Historically, OAN viewers have listened to the channel’s misinformation: As FiveThirtyEight acknowledged in July, Republicans who received news from far-right sources like OAN are far less likely to get vaccinated than those who received their news from Fox. A similar April poll by PRRI found just 3 in 10 people who “most trust” OAN or its competitor Newsmax are “vaccine accepters.”
