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Matthew Gertz Profile picture
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19 Sep, 5 tweets, 2 min read
That Breitbart column arguing the left is using reverse psychology to keep Trumpists from getting vaccinated for political gain is pretty close to my theory of a maximally effective message to get them to take the shots from a couple months ago. mediamatters.org/fox-news/anti-…
Basically we agree that his readers are so brain-poisoned by reflexive partisanship and conspiracy theories that they’ll refuse life-saving medicine for a chance to own the libs.
Of course, that isn’t an accident: He and his colleagues have meticulously stoked that right-wing paranoia for years. And now it’s literally getting their readers killed.
Anyway his conspiracy theory is totally wrong but because it is wrong I really hope it works at convincing more people to get vaccinated.
I wrote about this in more detail. mediamatters.org/coronavirus-co…

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More from @MattGertz

Matthew Gertz Profile picture
21 Sep
1. On the evening of Jan. 6, while the violent mob that drove Congress out of its joint session to count electoral votes still held the U.S. Capitol, Trump lawyer John Eastman was on Steve Bannon's show denouncing Mike Pence. mediamatters.org/fox-news/trump…
2. Pence had to flee to an undisclosed location as Trumpist rioters, convinced he should overturn the election, chanted “Hang Mike Pence.” Eastman says Pence ignored his “constitutional obligation not to allow our Constitution to be shredded."
3. Eastman went on to say that while he does not “in any way endorse any violence” at the Capitol, it happened because the supposed election fraud went unaddressed, and as a result, “some of the people think they've got no other option.”
Read 7 tweets
Matthew Gertz Profile picture
20 Sep
Jim Nolte was one of Breitbart's first hires, and made his bones writing anti-media screeds defending Trump’s most indefensible comments. He has credibility with and insight into the right. So it's interesting how he's trying to get his readers vaccinated. mediamatters.org/coronavirus-co…
What Nolte is telling his readers is that the "organized left," including Biden, is using "reverse psychology," pushing Trumpists to get vaccinated knowing that that will make them refuse to do it.

Their aim is for more Trumpists to die so it's easier for Dems to win elections.
This is wrong, and crazy. But it's based on what I think is a pretty good read on the Trump base -- they're so brain-poisoned by reflexive partisanship and conspiracy theories that they'll refuse lifesaving meds if they think that will allow them to own the libs.
Read 8 tweets
Matthew Gertz Profile picture
18 Sep
A lot of high-powered TV cameras on the ground for the rally for insurrectionists at the Capitol today. ImageImageImageImage
Fox's sole coverage of today's rally as of 10 a.m. is a single newsbrief. On the morning of Jan. 6, Pete Hegseth was doing segments on the scene, basically serving as that event's hype man.
Turnout looks pretty meager an hour before the event starts. Image
Read 6 tweets
Matthew Gertz Profile picture
14 Sep
You heard it here first. ImageImage
Has this show become incredibly predictable or am I just a genius?
While I’m on a hot streak, there will be a day two segment about the media reaction to the tweets featuring Candace Owens. ImageImage
Read 7 tweets
Matthew Gertz Profile picture
13 Sep
Here's my review of the Fox News Primary over the first 8 months of the year. Tom Cotton is working hardest to put himself in front of the Fox audience, but Ron DeSantis is better at making the network part of his wins and he rules in primetime: mediamatters.org/fox-news/cotto… Image
DeSantis quite literally owes his governorship to a Fox News-focused strategy, so it will be worth watching this going forward. He is very adept at using the network for best results. ImageImage
By contrast, Cotton's aides are clearly putting him on Fox every chance he gets, he vastly outpaces the field (113 vs Pompeo's 55, and the latter is on the Fox payroll), but he's not a fav of Hannity or Carlson and basically just gives his take on news of the day.
Read 6 tweets
Matthew Gertz Profile picture
13 Sep
I wrote about how the ivermectin debacle fits neatly into right-wing media culture of conning its viewers. mediamatters.org/fox-news/iverm…
As NBC News reported, a telemedicine website linked to a right-wing doc group is making bank by charging dupes for consultations and then prescribing them ivermectin for COVID treatment.
This scam relies on three things: High demand stoked by right-wing and contrarian personalities and social media, low supply bc credible docs won't prescribe drugs that don't work, and the drugs being safe enough not to hurt the dupes if taken at correct human dosages.
Read 7 tweets

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