乌鸦传媒

Two of the most visible right-wing, conservative political movements in the U.S. right now -- "Defeat the Mandates" and the "ReAwaken America" tour -- have extensive involvement from physicians who have been flagged for spreading medical misinformation.

Their names often appear on the featured speakers' list at both events: Robert Malone, MD; Peter McCullough, MD; Pierre Kory, MD; and Simone Gold, MD, JD, among others.

Their rhetoric at these events frequently leans ideologic rather than scientific. For instance, in April, Kory said, "There are so few Americans who recognize what's happening. They have taken control of information and they are infecting our brains with lies. The world has gone mad, and it's not their fault. It's from unrelenting propaganda and censorship of good information."

While many of these doctors have given up their careers in mainstream medicine, they've found their political stars rising at these rallies -- much to the dismay of experts who think their comments create false balance and undermine public health initiatives.

"It's fascinating the degree to which this has become about ideology," Timothy Caulfield, professor of health law and science policy at the University of Alberta in Canada, told 乌鸦传媒. "We're increasingly seeing ideology become part of the medical misinformation landscape."

Caulfield said the doctors' messages "become a rallying cry, regardless of the accuracy of the statements that are being made. ... It's a fascinating and disturbing trend."

Defeat the Mandates

The was held on Sunday, January 23 in Washington, D.C. The group was developed to stand against vaccine mandates, vaccine passports, and "forcing" vaccines on children.

Half of the 16 "" listed on its website are organizations run by or that have strong ties to the physicians who frequently appear at their events or who are otherwise involved in right-wing politics, including the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC; Kory, Paul Marik, MD), Physicians for Informed Consent (Jane Orient, MD), the Unity Project (McCullough, Malone, Kory, Aaron Kheriaty, MD), the International Alliance of Physicians & Medical Scientists (Kory, Marik, Malone, McCullough), and FreedomMed ().

The D.C. rally was organized by Matt Tune, an unvaccinated 48-year-old from Chicago, , and it was livestreamed on the High Wire, which is run by Del Bigtree, the CEO of the anti-vaccine group Informed Consent Action Network. Another well-known anti-vaccine figure, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who leads the Children's Health Defense, was a featured speaker.

Malone spoke at the event about how vaccines aren't working, and how they "are not completely safe," . Prior to appearing, Malone had plugged the event on Joe Rogan's podcast and on Tucker Carlson's show on Fox News.

Malone also appeared at the Defeat the Mandates rally in Los Angeles in April, along with Kory, Marik, Ryan Cole, MD, and Richard Urso, MD.

Kory maintained that he and Marik -- who founded the FLCCC together -- worked hard at the beginning of the pandemic to find a treatment that works (even though ivermectin has been extensively disproven as a COVID therapy) and lamented that people are now "celebrating pharmaceutical companies."

During his time at the podium, Marik said that masks don't work, that vaccines don't work, and that social distancing doesn't work.

"We know that early treatment is effective," he said. "They don't want you to know this because they want you to be scared."

ReAwaken America

recently described the as "the start of QAnon 2.0." It's hosted by business coach Clay Clark and by Michael Flynn, Trump's former national security adviser, and promotes themes like preserving American values while fighting back against government control.

Gold is listed on the organization's website as a featured speaker, along with the controversial Stella Immanuel, MD, who once said venereal disease arises from "demon sperm."

Gold has spoken at numerous ReAwaken America events, including the in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Malone and McCullough have also made appearances at these events.

Gold founded America's Frontline Doctors, which made its debut in a July 2020 viral video that essentially stood against COVID lockdowns. The event was hosted by the Tea Party Patriots, a member of the Save Our Country Coalition. That larger group was created by the secretive Council for National Policy, and a suggested not underestimating that quiet group's influence in promoting conservative politics.

Gold had also been a member of the Save Our Country Coalition. In May 2020, just 2 months before the America's Frontline Doctors viral video, that Republican activist Nancy Schulze said she had given the Trump campaign a list of 27 doctors who were prepared to defend the president's push to reopen the country.

"They've already been vetted. But they need to be put on the screens," Schulze said, according to the AP.

In March of this year, Gold pleaded guilty to one of the five criminal counts against her in connection with her participation in the Jan. 6, 2021 storming of the U.S. Capitol building.

Another physician who spoke during the Myrtle Beach ReAwaken America event was Christiane Northrup, MD, who gave up her medical license in 2015. "You need to understand that this is the religion of the demonic cult that has been running the planet since the time of Genesis," she said, according to New York Magazine. "And their time is up!"

Why Ideology?

In so many instances, the messages these doctors push are "clearly misinformation," Caulfield said.

"It's not like, 'How much immunity do you get from Omicron? When's the best time to get a booster?' It's not these ongoing scientific conversations," he added. "It's 'The vaccines don't work.' It's 'Ivermectin is a miracle drug' or 'Masks don't work.' This isn't equivocal, contested scientific discourse. This stuff is clearly misinformation."

These physicians' activism has had consequences for their careers. Kory had to give up his jobs at the University of Wisconsin and Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center. Marik resigned from Eastern Virginia Medical School earlier this year and is in a legal battle with Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, where he previously worked.

But they seem to have no shortage of other opportunities. America's Frontline Doctors has made millions off of telehealth consults with patients seeking ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine, .

Kory has had a particularly large presence, being called to testify in front of the U.S. Senate , through his relationship with Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.). He was also a for the People's Convoy, another mandate opposition group with conservative ties.

"For a lot of these individuals, [misinformation] has become part of their personal brand," Caulfield said. "Once something becomes part of your personal brand ... you keep that train rolling. It also becomes much more difficult to change your position. It isn't about what the evidence says anymore. It's about what's part of your ideological basket."

Medical organizations have taken strong stances against physician misinformation, perhaps most notably the Federation of State Medical Boards, which warned last summer that physicians who spread misinformation or disinformation about COVID-19 vaccines could have their licenses suspended or revoked. Yet a previous 乌鸦传媒 investigation found that few doctors who've spread misinformation have been disciplined.

One physician-led group, , has also tried to encourage reporting physicians who spread misinformation to their state boards.

Caulfield said revoking physicians' licenses would not just send an important message, but would help curb the spread of misinformation and increase public confidence in medicine and public health initiatives.

"Having a medical license is a privilege, and you're expected to meet certain standards," he noted. "These licensing boards have an obligation to the public, not to the physicians, to do what's in the best interest of the public. I absolutely think that these licensing boards need to do more to hold their members to a higher standard."

Comment