These “mistakes” just keep happening, and always in one direction.

The Washington Post has finally issued a major correction to an article that claimed Sen. Tom Cotton was lying by repeating a “debunked conspiracy theory” regarding COVID-19. Cotton had committed the grave sin of suggesting that the virus could have come from the Wuhan Institution of Virology during a time period when the media and social media had deemed the topic off-limits.

Now, over a year and a half later, the Post has finally admitted their error.

OWNED pic.twitter.com/Rs8i0FkCEZ

— James Lindsay, not very compliant (@ConceptualJames) September 12, 2021

Of course, the media never truly say they are sorry, so the Post laughably changed the headline to read “fringe theory,” as if the lab leak theory isn’t the most likely explanation at this point. Scientists have yet to discover COVID-19 in nature while numerous pieces of circumstantial evidence point directly to the lab in Wuhan as the origin point.

Yet Cotton acknowledged there is no evidence that the disease originated at the lab. Instead, he suggested it’s necessary to ask Chinese authorities about the possibility, fanning the embers of a theory that has been repeatedly disputed by experts.

Here’s an idea: Get better experts.

Any “expert” that is still “disputing” the lab leak theory instead of acknowledging it as a distinct, even likely possibility is either an idiot or has a personal stake in the matter somewhere. RedState’s Scott Hounsell has done extensive work exposing evidence that supports the lab leak theory, and it simply can’t be ignored any longer (see here and here).

But again, even if one believes the coronavirus came from nature, it was always completely ridiculous to label the lab leak theory as “debunked,” especially back in February of 2020 when there hadn’t even been an investigation. The Chinese have repeatedly stonewalled requests for evidence and have even lodged threats against those who dare to look for any. That alone is enough to say that the lab leak theory is worth taking seriously, never mind all the data we do have that already points in that direction.

Despite that, the Post and dozens of other mainstream media outlets colluded with social media for over a year to make any discussion of the lab leak theory out of bounds. Just in the last few months has the threat of bannings and warning labels has been lifted. Why? Because to entertain the well-backed idea that China was directly responsible would have undercut the media’s obsession with blaming Donald Trump.

It’s that simple. These biased media outlets and their social media allies put politics above the pursuit of truth. They chose a cheap swipe at Tom Cotton over practicing real journalism. And how do they say they are sorry after it becomes abundantly clear their partisan hackery doesn’t pass muster? They issue a short correction a year and a half later that no one will see. These outlets do not deserve your respect. They deserve your scorn.