The Biden government is discreetly increasing outreach to key news organizations; this is happening with the aim of quelling a rash of worrying media reports that threaten to stymie its immunization push.
According to three aspects involved with the talks, the government began holding a round of meetings Monday and then into Tuesday with all the big television stations. The lectures, which are centered on the rapidly spreading Delta strain and immunizations, have been led in effect by Vivek Murthy, the US surgeon general.
The Meetings Come With Strict Terms and Conditions
The meetings are being held under specified terms and conditions; this means that media organizations are allowed to utilize the information, as long as they don’t name or explicitly quote top officials.
This follows as the government celebrated a vaccine goal on Monday, with 70% of adults in the United States receiving at least one dose. However, they are taking place at a time when the government is concerned about news reporting and stories they believe are too singularly focused on vaccine efficacy.
The Biden administration is privately ramping up outreach to major media outlets in hopes of tamping down a spate of alarming news reports that threaten to slow its vaccination campaignhttps://t.co/w7FkPctZYG
— POLITICO (@politico) August 3, 2021
The Washington Post got data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, which was subsequently published by a spate of sources last week. The CDC investigated an epidemic of vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals in Provincetown, Massachusetts, and revised its mask recommendations as a result of the findings.
However, knowledge of the discoveries broke before the data was released. Early stories and stories focused on the comparison of vaccinated people who contracted the virus in so-called breakout cases. Officials in government were concerned that reports and social media comments endorsing them would stymie efforts to convince the unvaccinated to receive the shots.
The White House began holding a series of briefings Monday and into Tuesday with all the major TV networks and other newsroom leaders about recent Covid coverage. The sessions are being led in part by @Surgeon_General. https://t.co/6S8zdRNIMI via @ccadelago @politico
— Quint Forgey (@QuintForgey) August 3, 2021
CNN Was Used as a Government Mouth Piece – No Surprise There
They retaliated first on social media, then in a CNN piece in which officials expressed their displeasure, claiming that the pieces lacked critical context. While the vaccinated can acquire breakout infections (particularly from the Delta variant, and spread the disease just like the unvaccinated), they are far less likely to become infected or end up in hospital as a result.
The infection our nation is fighting today is considerably different than it used to be, according to a slide show obtained by POLITICO. The Delta variant, which now counts for 80% of reported infections after being only 1% in May, spreads significantly more quickly, according to a presentation.
In today’s news:
– The White House is back-channeling with several networks on COVID-19 coverage
– The anticipated CCP response to foreign media coverage at the 2022 Winter Olympics
– Larry Kudlow blocked an interview with Congressman due to race
& more:https://t.co/Sc4LsclouG— Pew Research Journalism (@pewjournalism) August 3, 2021
The government’s main point is that immunizations are still highly effective and that raising immunization rates is what would eventually get the nation out of the COVID quagmire. The government is telling media editors and journalists in meetings that while breakout illnesses are predicted, they are uncommon, and almost all of them are minor instances.
In Barnstable County, Massachusetts, where the major epidemic in Provincetown happened, a study of breakout cases from July 10 to July 26 found that 1% of breakouts ended in hospitalizations.
