Fox News wanted viewers to hear an anti-vax trooper’s story – until he died of COVID.
The network has yet to mention Robert LaMay's passing, after turning him into a culture war hero for resigning rather than getting vaccinated. mediamatters.org/coronavirus-co…
The network has yet to mention Robert LaMay's passing, after turning him into a culture war hero for resigning rather than getting vaccinated. mediamatters.org/coronavirus-co…
Fox News has tried to turn workers who refuse vaccine mandates into culture war heroes, even though the network itself voluntarily imposed a requirement that its own employees be either vaccinated or tested for COVID-19 daily.
LaMay became the latest such figure in October.
LaMay became the latest such figure in October.
Fox hosts and others on the right promoted LaMay’s story and presented his refusal to take a lifesaving drug as an example their audiences could emulate.
“The choices that people like you are being forced to make are pretty unbelievable,” Fox host Carley Shimkus told him, praising him as “a fantastic police officer” whose resignation was “Washington state’s loss.”
“I understand that there are hundreds of thousands of you, millions perhaps, set to start losing your jobs today,” Fox host Will Cain said, before airing video of LaMay’s sign-off and predicting that as vaccine mandates took effect, “you’ll see more videos like that.”
"What's next for you — other than being a celebrity now — what's next for you?” Laura Ingraham asked him. "We really appreciate your voice and best of luck to you.”
Last week, he died of COVID-19.
Last week, he died of COVID-19.
LaMay’s brief blip of right-wing “celebrity” won’t comfort his widow or help to raise his four children. And Fox’s stars and the executives standing behind them will continue to encourage more of these tragedies.
They were happy to tell his story when it was a useful foil against vaccine mandates. Fox viewers heard the hosts they trusted suggest that it was heroic to resign rather than take life-saving drugs.
Now that he's dead, they are nowhere to be found.
Now that he's dead, they are nowhere to be found.
Update on this story:
https://twitter.com/MattGertz/status/1488500678733582341
Great segment on this last night from @chrislhayes, watch it:
https://twitter.com/allinwithchris/status/1488325710146113539
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