My e-mail to ‘Inside Edition’

W e need to demand that our media outlets respond to the public’s need for a fair and unbiased reporting of the facts surrounding the current emergency situation concerning the Wuhan Virus.

This is not just a suggestion.

This is a necessity that is needed in order to keep the public properly informed of happenings during a time of national concern about events that should be passed on in a proper and informed manner, and not by sloppy uninformed writing, or by professional propagandists intent on pushing hysterical theories in order to still up tales of gruesome horrors to raise viewer ratings.

For my part, I recently saw an edition of ‘The Inside Edition’ on CBS television and sent them an e-mail questioning their reporting. Here’s why: I viewed the offering this Friday, April 3, 2020. Of the 4 first reports, 3 were filled with serious errors.

#1-First they touted that the ocean beaches are carrying the Wuhan Virus to beach-goers. The following was a quote from the telecast: “One renowned scientist says she’s delighted the beaches have been shut … our beautiful beaches could be a hot zone for coronavirus.”

Who was this unnamed source? Your mama?

You followed up with the following, which is also a quote: “We asked Dr. Oz about the risk at the beach.

(His answer was as follows) ‘I hadn’t thought of this earlier … theoretically it COULD infect us. Now, I asked around. Most people DON’T think it’s a prominent risk.’” Which was supported by the next speaker. From the show, Jennifer Savage with the Surfrider Foundation: Quote: “It’s UNLIKELY that you would contract it from the water. But it’s one of those things that we don’t know enough about this virus to say for sure.”

My question to CBS: What part of NO don’t you understand? Yet, you aired it anyway. Why?

I did a little digging myself. I read one doctoral paper on it but it was rather dry. However, another site was more informative and to the point. Here is a part of it from Surfrider.org: “Typical treatments that include sterilization with chlorine and other disinfectants are highly effective at eradicating the virus. However, if you are in a place that uses only primary treatment at your sewage treatment plant, it could be possible that the viable virus might be discharged with effluent into waterways through offshore outfalls or groundwater injection wells.”

Link: https://www.surfride r.org/coastal-blog/entry/ covid-19-and-beach-water -quality-updates-from -the-research-community #2-The second assertion on ‘The Inside Edition’ went negative on the naval medical ship, USNS Comfort, in New York harbor. The show called the relief effort, Quote: “A Joke….ridiculous.’ The New York Times quoted health officials.’” So, I tracked down the quote. Here it where it came from: “If I’m blunt about it, it’s a joke,” said Michael Dowling, the head of New York’s largest hospital system, Northwell Health. He told The Times he’d had to tear his hospitals apart, turning lobbies and conference rooms into wards to treat hundreds of coronavirus patients.

Only, I saw just the previous night on another news network that the ship was not filled because it was taking on non-Wuhan Virus patients so that the beds of the hospitals on shore could work with those patients that had the virus.

But there were not many non-virus patients on the ship because non-virus patients have been ordered to stay indoors – and even if they weren’t – they did not want to risk exposure to the virus for either non-essential or elective procedures. Thus, the ship was not filled up.

Sort of makes sense, doesn’t it?

Only CBS wasn’t having any of it. No, they had this Michael Dowling to trot out.

Dowling who is a rabid leftist, anti-Trump, anti-second amendment gun-grabbing, pro-illegal immigrant advocate.

And he obviously couldn’t wait to throw cold water on the whole mission.

I mean, this Dowling is a REAL piece of work. Found this on the link: https:// www.northwell.edu/about/ leadership/michael-dowling “Michael Dowling is one of health care’s most influential voices, taking a stand on societal issues such as gun violence and immigration that many health system CEOs shy away from.”

Stands he makes, like this, from the site link: https://www.gunsamerica. com/digest/ceo-hospital -guns-disease-eradicated -aggressive-action/ “Under the heading: “Hospital CEO Calls Guns a ‘Disease’ that Needs to be Eradicated with ‘Aggressive’ Action,” by Jordan Michaels on August 26, 2019: “Dowling’s multi-step plan calls for many of the same gun control schemes being proposed by 2020 Democratic candidates, including,” 1. Pressuring elected officials who “fail to support sensible gun legislation.”

2. Investing in mental health without stigmatizing.

3. Banning sales of firearms to people at risk of harming themselves or others.

4. Banning sale of firearms “that serve no other purpose than to inflict mass casualties.”

5. Supporting national red flag laws.

6. Supporting universal background checks.

Then there’s Dowling’s activities on behalf of illegal aliens: Notice this heading: “North Shore-LIJ chief: LI should be ‘a special place’ for immigrants,” at the link: victor.ramos@newsday.com @vmramos Updated February 26, 2015 10:09 pm. Here’s some of the extract: “We can be the first to make Long Island a special place, a place of inclusiveness and coherence” that serves as “a template” for other suburban regions, North Shore-LIJ Health System president and chief executive Michael Dowling told advocates and university staff.

“Participants in the conference, titled “Long Island at a Turning Point,” looked ahead at the possible impact of thousands of immigrants who are living in the area illegally qualifying for lawful presence if programs ordered by President Barack Obama are cleared for implementation.

“Their plan echoed Dowling’s encouragement for area leaders “to foster a shared sense of inclusiveness” not hampered by political dysfunction.” Get the ‘hint’ there? Dowling and his ilk are ‘virtue signaling’ with their promotion of illegal alien protections, and everyone else who does not agree with them are, quote: ‘Hampered by political dysfunction.’” Wow. Pardon us for living, Dr. Dowling!

#3-Finally, on the story about the officer who was replaced on a naval war ship for supposedly reporting sailors coming down with the virus. The show spread a huge twitter banner across the television screen during your broadcast by just one sailor on ship who tweeted, “Wrongfully relieved of command but did right by the sailors.”

Only one thing wrong with that. Not true. That was NOT why he was replaced.

He put out the news on unsecured lines not in the required chain of command used by our armed forces, and it could have been picked up by our enemies in the Pacific Theatre of Operations, where the ship was on duty. That could have threatened our national security as well.

Or, as the New York Post reported: “The Navy relieved from duty the veteran captain who issued an urgent request for help about a coronavirus outbreak aboard his ship, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, after losing confidence in his ability to command the aircraft carrier, according to reports Thursday.”

Link: https://nypost. com/2020/04/02/navy-capt -brett-crozier-relieved -o-command-after-sounding -coronavirus-alarm/ So my question is this. Are the so-called journalists on ‘The Inside Edition’ all either too lazy, too stupid, or too biased to report the news in an honest and coherent manner?

In a time when Americans believe in the Old World Media like CBS less than they believe in Martians, it would seem that they at least try to APPEAR that they have veracity instead of stomping the truth to death at every opportunity.

My advice to ‘The Inside Edition’ and CBS: Please try again … only BETTER next time.

Robert L. Hall is a resident of Marion and has a Bachelor’s Degree in music from the University of Memphis and a Master’s Degree from Florida State University. He is the pianist for Avondale Baptist Church and a writer of fiction on Amazon eBooks.

Robert Hall