”Media Malpractice’’ could be taking on a completely new meaning if this new report is even close to accurate.

One of the long-standing issues we have been subjected to in this pandemic is the press insisting on politicizing many aspects at the expense of public information and safety. From the efficacy of masks to shifting standards on public gatherings, the media has been consistently inconsistent. One of the worst results is possibly looming, as we are learning more about the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat coronavirus patients. 

The concept of using HCQ in tandem with zinc products as an early stage treatment for those testing positive had been so heavily criticized in the media that the drug has fallen out of the news cycle. Now CNN has come out with a report showing that there are positive effects in the administering of HCQ — lives are actually being saved in its application. Now isn’t this a remarkable turnabout by CNN.

A team at Henry Ford Health System in Southeast Michigan said Thursday its study of 2,541 hospitalized patients found that those given hydroxychloroquine were much less likely to die. Dr. Marcus Zervos, division head of infectious disease for Henry Ford Health System, said 26% of those not given hydroxychloroquine died, compared to 13% of those who got the drug. 

What we see taking place here is not new information. As far back as April many of us had been detailing how HCQ has shown the most promise, including a poll of thousands of doctors across the globe saying it was the most effective treatment. Stacy Lennox at our partner site PJ Media has been covering the process of politicizing this drug, and it is disturbing to consider now how many may have benefitted from its use. Or, how many may have been saved.

If this ends up proving to be one of the best treatments for patients and it stems the loss of life then the role the press has played in demonizing a benefit all in the name of making political hits on the president becomes more than disturbing; it borders on the criminal. To show how this is not rampant hyperbole, recall one HCQ story that came out from the New York Times, one of the aspects on how the press looked into the drug. 

The Times sought to accuse Trump as pushing HCQ because he was invested in a company producing it. The angle was obvious. Trump, during a time when the press was bleating how reckless it was for Trump to recommend a dangerous drug, was accused of promoting it because he stood to profit from its sales. It was soon revealed this was based on one investment fund he possessed that had one drug maker as part of its larger portfolio. That numerous companies were mass producing the generic drug at extremely low prices meant that Trump stood to make pennies if production was ramped up.

This was the level of concern the media had in regards to a potentially life-saving drug. For months their approach to coverage was always through the prism of Donald Trump first. If he promoted it and/or there appeared to be positive news then the negatives had to be reported. The risks were hyped, the benefits downplayed, and the facts were subjugated to political interpretations. Now CNN has come around and declares this to be ‘’A surprising new study’’.

This can only be shocking to those who began to write their pieces with the words ‘’President Trump’’ in their opening sentences.