Former Fox News reporter Carl Cameron appears to be fed up with Tucker Carlson's antics. On Monday, July 19, Cameron criticized the primetime television host for spewing misinformation and sowing doubt about the COVID-19 vaccines.
Cameron appeared on CNN's "New Day" where he shared his opinion of Carlson, as HuffPost reported. He admitted that he believes Carlson's efforts and dangerous rhetoric are a method of gaslighting viewers to increase ratings and revenue for the network.
"It's about ratings and ratings ultimately become revenue, and that's the name of the game," Cameron said.
Since the release of the COVID vaccine, some Republicans and right-wing figures have pushed back against the Biden administration's initiatives to increase vaccinations. Carlson has been one of the most prominent figures fueling conservative fears about getting vaccinated, which has limited the effectiveness of the vaccination campaign to thwart the virus.
"Whoever gets the most clicks on social media, makes the most money, gets the most fame, gets the most attention and that type of activity is not journalism," Cameron continued. "It's not news. It's gaslighting. It's propaganda."
Cameron also noted the dangers of public figures disputing the scientific community's work despite solid evidence that exists to support their concerns and claims about the coronavirus. He also offered a metaphor explaining how he views their actions.
"It makes no sense whatsoever," he said. "This is literally the metaphor of the lemmings running to their own slaughter. People who are listening to that sort of stuff instead of the science that goes way way back."
He continued, "It is the opinion hosts who aren't journalists per se, they're talking heads, and their job, their reward is bringing eyeballs on television, and all they really gotta do is keep people watching until it's commercial time, and then it's ka-ching ka-ching ka-ching for the networks. And it works really well in prime time, but it's not news."
You can watch the video below via YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=klY7Mt7vliA&feature=emb_logo
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