Thread by @Dry_Observer

@NatashaBertrand The White House, Congressional GOP & Fox News allegedly deliberately misinformed people about the pandemic for weeks - often while taking actions confirming they understood the dire threat.

Dumping stocks? Presidential daily briefings? Circulating memos on protecting employees?

@NatashaBertrand Calling the virus a "hoax," "just like the flu" or "the common cold" will look even worse in light of hard evidence that they knew the opposite.

Incidentally, for anyone arguing - right *now* - that Fox and MSNBC are exactly the same except for their ideology...

@NatashaBertrand One network tried to convince us not to take this virus seriously and is encouraging us to "open the country back up" right now, despite the threat of a tsunami of infections overwhelming our medical system and potentially killing millions.

That's Fox, to be clear.

@NatashaBertrand MSNBC tried to convince us the virus was real - because it was - and that our lives collectively depended on social distancing, testing, ventilators, a functioning medical community with PPEs and following the science - because they did.

@NatashaBertrand *How* then are Fox and MSNBC the same?

Particularly *now?*

Why would you be trying to sell anyone on that point while Fox is continuing to exacerbate the situation?

Up to and including pushing a re-opening of the country before Easter?

@NatashaBertrand If masses of their audience pack themselves into churches for Easter, we could lose millions.

This is a *strange* time to be pushing that argument, for the record.

You can be a masterful analyst of these affairs, or struggling with the most basic details.

@NatashaBertrand I don't necessarily think anyone pushing that argument is struggling.

You can tell me about whataboutism, deflection, distraction, defamation.

But reflect on your position - particularly *now* - and tell me what consequences you think it has to espouse it. Now.

No. Go ahead.

@NatashaBertrand If your intentions are sincere, hopefully this will provide you with a useful perspective on the impact you might be having.

@NatashaBertrand On the off chance anyone out there thinks sprinkling clever disinformation or influence in the midst of otherwise useful material is invisible, or a more sophisticated tool in our sea of trolls and botnets.

You would do well to reconsider.

@NatashaBertrand What you may *think* is advanced or incomprehensible may prove little more than a toy to someone who has unraveled such games on a global scale for, say, their entire life.

Hypothetically.

@NatashaBertrand Elicitation. Influence. Manipulation. Disinformation.

Certainly this media can be choked with them, at times.

Apologies for not having a clever GIF to provide in summation.

@NatashaBertrand So I'll go with 3:14:

"This was once my home. Did your masters not tell you who I was?"

@NatashaBertrand Or 6:51:

"The world is changing once again... and it's time to pick a side."
"Real life is not like the stories our father told us. You were a fool, for believing it so."

Apologies for anyone who *has* chosen a side, and advanced certain arguments deliberately.

@NatashaBertrand But for anyone still playing this game...

We've already lost thousands of people, and with the "clever" execution of disinformation, could end enough social distancing to lose millions more.

You may not have a way out, but if you do, acting in support of mass murder isn't it.