SBG Pulls Fauci Conspiracy Theory Segment

After facing intense scrutiny for planning to air a baseless conspiracy theory that infectious-disease
expert Anthony S. Fauci helped to create the coronavirus, TV broadcaster Sinclair Broadcast Group announced Saturday that it will delay the segment to edit the context of the claimsm the Washington Post reports.

Anthony Fauci

Sinclair, which has 191 stations across the country, received backlash this week after “America This Week” host Eric Bolling interviewed Judy Mikovits, a former medical researcher featured in the debunked “Plandemic” conspiracy online film.

In the Sinclair interview, Mikovits claimed that Fauci “manufactured” the coronavirus and shipped it to Wuhan, China, where the outbreak originated. A chyron during the segment reads, “DID DR. FAUCI CREATE COVID-19?”

Judy Mikovits

Mikovits and her lawyer Larry Klayman dropped other unfounded allegations during the show, including President Trump soft-pedaling relations with China because he has evidence of the country’s involvement with the inception of the virus.

The show was released online earlier this week before it was to be aired on local news channels. As of Saturday afternoon, the show was pulled from Sinclair websites.

Bolling, a former Fox News personality, did not challenge Mikovits’s assertions, calling what she said a “hefty claim.” He later told The Washington Post via text that he brought Fox News medical contributor Nicole Saphier on the show after to provide an opposing viewpoint.

A med-school staffer dived into online groups to debunk coronavirus conspiracy theories. Would anyone listen?

Saphier said during her interview that it was “highly unlikely” Fauci was responsible for the coronavirus.

https://t.co/JS9y0Ny0wF pic.twitter.com/kugA01oaIC

— 🇺🇸 ERIC BOLLING 🇺🇸 (@ericbolling) July 25, 2020

Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has come under heavy criticism by some conservatives as he has stated positions opposite of the president over the virus and measures needed to contain its spread. Trump, while at times praising the doctor, also has been critical at times.