Natural News announces recipients of the 2015 Media Fail Awards
Friday, January 01, 2016 by: Jonathan Benson, staff writerTags: Media Fail Awards, mainstream media, propaganda
(NaturalNews) Where you get your news determines, to a large extent,
what you ultimately end up believing about the world around you. If your
favorite newspaper or cable news channel is sold out to pharmaceutical
and vaccine interests, you're unlikely to get the honest truth about alternative medicine, for instance, or the prevalence of drug and vaccine injuries.
The same goes for pro-war media groups that are constantly carrying on
about false-flag terrorism in order to push an agenda of never-ending
military intervention overseas.
Here at Natural News, our goal is to cut through all the lies by providing you with real news that often gets ignored or vilified by the corporate propaganda pushers. But we also want our readers to be aware of which media sources are guilty of actively spreading disinformation and propaganda so they can avoid them, which is why we've put together the 2015 Media Fail Awards highlighting the most biased, pseudo-journalistic fake news sources that publish lies meant to deceive and mislead the public.
1) Forbes. For being one of America's top business and finance news outlets, Forbes sure does have a strange obsession with pushing biotechnology. Former Forbes.com writer Jon Entine made quite a name for himself in independent media circles after he published a series of articles attacking natural health protocols and endorsing genetically modified organisms (GMOs), in which he made the following absurd statements:
"[T]here is not one published study that suggests that GM soy products are any less nutritious than alternatives; nor are they, or any approved GMO food, harmful in any way," Entine wrote in a 2014 critique of a Consumer Reports analysis that found fault with soy milk and other alternative milk products.
"In fact, it's well established that organic products... are more likely to have a higher risk of pathogen contamination," he added.
Except for the fact that studies like this one,[PDF] this one and this one prove that Entine is a liar.[PDF]
In 2015, Forbes.com published a propaganda piece by Monsanto Regulatory Policy Lead Dr. Ray Dobert claiming that GMOs have "not had a single documented instance of harm to human or animal health."
2) Slate. This Washington Post-affiliated Big Ag rag published a number of articles in 2015 praising Planned Parenthood for illegally selling aborted human baby parts, chastising Dr. Mehmet Oz for trying to help people heal naturally and falsely accusing those who have concerns about GMO safety of being non-thinkers.
Slate shill writer William Saletan wrote the following back in July, outrageously insinuating that organic food is somehow more dangerous than GMOs:
"[I]f you look at illness or direct fatalities... you can make a better case against organic food than against GMOs."
Mark Joseph Stern also wrote that same month that Planned Parenthood's illegal trafficking of aborted baby body parts is "deeply commendable."
3) The Washington Post. When healthy fast casual food chain Chipotle decided to convert its entire menu to non-GMO ingredients, The Washington Post went on a verbal rampage, claiming that the Colorado-based company is contradicting science and putting people's health at risk by offering them food items grown the way nature intended.
The WP editorial board published an outrageous article claiming that Chipotle's catering to its customer base by offering the foods they want is somehow part of a "global propaganda campaign that is not only contrary to the best scientific knowledge but also potentially harmful to vulnerable populations around the world."
Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
4) Mother Jones. This pro-vaccine sellout magazine used to offer a more balanced view of world events from the perspective of environmental protection and anti-corporate cronyism. But today, Mother Jones has become a peddler of lies, repeatedly denying sound science that debunks the industry talking point that vaccines are in no way linked to causing autism.
In multiple attacks against presidential frontrunner Donald Trump this past year, Mother Jones writers went on the offense against the notion that vaccines may not be as safe as we've all been led to believe. For simply suggesting that vaccines harmed the child of one of his employees, Trump was accused by Mother Jones of spreading "anti-science nonsense."
"Trump is an advocate for the completely baseless theory that vaccines can cause autism," wrote Jeremy Schulman for Mother Jones.
5) PolitiFact. This "critical" newspaper prides itself on supposedly having an acute sense of being able to dissect truth from error. But PolitiFact has been caught repeatedly lying about world events in an effort to protect the status quo.
When the rest of the mainstream media was going nuts earlier in the year about the alleged Disneyland measles outbreak, PolitiFact was quick to publish pro-vaccine propaganda claiming that all vaccines are unabashedly safe.
"There's a lot we don't know about what causes autism," admitted PolitiFact's Steve Contorno in an article published last February, only to immediately add, "but doctors we spoke with said you can definitely rule out vaccines."
And doctors we spoke with have ruled out the possibility that Mr. Contorno is mentally sound.
6) The Atlantic. Another Monsanto-aligned propaganda rag is The Atlantic, which was exposed in 2015 for colluding with the biotechnology interest to defend the crumbling reputation of GMOs. After publishing several articles claiming that "independent researchers" have vindicated GMO safety, it was revealed that these "independent researchers" were actually paid biotech shills.
Shamed University of Florida professor Kevin Folta was given a platform by The Atlantic to vilify natural food proponents, until he, too, was outed for accepting bribe money from Monsanto. The Atlantic has even opposed consumers' right to know what they're eating, calling the push for GMO labeling "a right to be misled."
In a patronizing expose attempting to destroy the reputation of Vani Hari, the popular online "Food Babe," writer James Hamblin quoted The Atlantic's darling Kevin Folta, maliciously accusing Hari of mobilizing an "army of blind followers who reject science and follow her words, to smear and harm the reputations of companies that are doing nothing wrong."
Poor little innocent Monsanto – right, Mr. Hamblin...
7) National Geographic. You may recall back in March when National Geographic released an issue of its magazine tagged on the front cover with the words "The War on Science" in large-type font. This poison-pushing periodical that used to focus more on nature decided to classify everyone who doesn't buy the "climate change" myth or corporate vaccine "science" of being a science-denier, and it wasn't shy about proclaiming this.
Next to these words, Nat Geo listed a series of beliefs that it implied are directly associated with scientific opposition, including the belief that "vaccinations can lead to autism" and "genetically modified food is evil," a subjective statement that completely ignores legitimate concerns backed by science. Nat Geo also wants its readers to believe that industrial waste chemicals commonly called "fluoride" are just natural minerals, and that people who oppose them are crazy conspiracy theorists.
"[F]luoride is a natural mineral that, in the weak concentrations used in public drinking water systems, hardens tooth enamel and prevents tooth decay.... That's the scientific and medical consensus."
In reality, most countries around the world either do not fluoridate water or have outright banned it, since it has been shown by actual science to be both ineffective and harmful, as the mainstream media is now slowly admitting.
8) Newsweek. Many people were shocked to learn in 2009 that Newsweek magazine endorsed killing off the sick and elderly in order to save healthcare dollars. Rather than conduct a thorough investigation into the waste and abuse surrounding the conventional medical system, which is entirely unsustainable, Newsweek instead published a report advocating for simply getting rid of those people who cost the most to keep alive.
In 2015, Newsweek decided to lick the boots of the Obama Administration with a puff piece claiming that Obamacare is the best thing for America since sliced bread. The propaganda piece dubbed vaccinations a key component of Obamacare's "culture of wellness and prevention," which isn't surprising since Newsweek has also published slanderous lies about senior gastroenterologist Dr. Andrew Wakefield.
Newsweek writer Stav Ziv denigratingly referred to Dr. Wakefield back in February as the "father of the anti-vaccine movement," which is utter rubbish since Dr. Wakefield's findings in his well-known paper were merely observational assessments, which he's repeatedly had to explain to his vicious attackers.
9) USA Today. When it's not busy obsessing over the Kardashians or discussing, ad nauseum, the minutiae of NFL quarterback Tom Brady's personal life, USA Today feigns as if it cares about real world events. But the perspective with which this popular magazine approaches important topics like GMOs and food freedom are disturbing, to say the least.
Back in May, the USA Today editorial board likened skepticism to the chemical industry's talking points on GMO safety to "kooky" conspiracy theories like believing that Elvis is still alive, or that the first moon landing was faked.
"Americans love conspiracy theories," the board wrote, warning that holding opposing beliefs to what the establishment insists is true represents a threatening form of "fear-mongering."
Furthermore, early in 2015, in the wake of the overhyped Disneyland measles outbreak, USA Today actually published a piece by corporate shill Alex Berezow calling for the imprisonment of parents who refuse to follow the CDC vaccine schedule.
10) Gawker. Regarded by some as one of the most immature news publications on the web, Gawker takes a top spot in the Media Fail Awards for publishing tabloid trash so ridiculously outlandish that it's almost humorous – almost. This racist, sexist gossip rag publishes all sorts of hate-filled nonsense, shaming everyone from video game developers to male athletes and successful white people.
Per Gawker's own self-assessment, it's top articles of 2015 include tributes to Justin Bieber's private parts, the infamous blue and (or) gold dress, and the public shaming of health enthusiast and "Food Babe" Vani Hari.
"For a product that's no healthier (than conventional), organic is more expensive," wrote Gawker writer Yvette d'Entremont in a tasteless bash piece entitled "The 'Food Babe' Blogger is Full of Sh**."
11) Salon. When it's not sympathizing with pedophiles and mocking Christians, Salon has a peculiar penchant for lashing out against people who don't blindly chug the vaccine Kool-Aid. In a recent piece likening vaccine skeptics to tin-foil-hat-wearing conspiracy theorists, Salon's Rob Brotherton had this to say:
"Parents who consciously choose to deny their children vaccines are putting not only their own child in harm's way, but other children, too."
Try saying that to the thousands of parents of vaccine-injured children, Mr. Brotherton.
12) The New York Times. One of the world's most well-known news outlets, The New York Times constantly takes the wrong side on nearly every issue. Vaccines, war, pharmaceuticals, big government, you name it – if it supports big industry at the expense of the little guy, The New York Times seems to be all for it.
Second only to The Wall Street Journal in terms of print circulation, The New York Times also has a love affair with gun control, pushing the idea that gun violence is "a public health challenge that is a lethal, daily threat" that can only be remedied with more infringements on the right to keep and bear arms.
13) MSNBC. America's founding fathers recognized that the freedom to own guns is important to prevent governments from becoming tyrannical dictatorships. But MSNBC thinks the Second Amendment is just a disposable afterthought that's outdated and ready to be scrapped, at least for anyone the government deems a "threat."
"I think we need to be taking every stride that we can to ensure as much safety as we can for the American people," stated New York Daily News editor Jim Rich on a segment with MSNBC's Chris Hayes.
14) The New Yorker. Those pesky anti-vaxxers are a thorn in the flesh for Media Fail Award-winner The New Yorker, which believes that anyone who questions vaccines is a "dangerous... minority" who "just don't care."
"Both measles and pertussis are now back, largely because increasing numbers of children remain unvaccinated," wrote Michael Specter for The New Yorker back in March, based on nothing but his own personal (and unfounded) opinion.
15) Vox. And then we have Vox, the media outlet that went nuts after TV celebrity Dr. Mehmet Oz dared to – gasp! – present novel ideas about medicine and food on his show that oppose the status quo. Vox has aligned itself with industry-backed quacks like former Big Tobacco shill Henry Miller in calling for Dr. Oz's removal from his prestigious post at the Columbia University School of Medicine.
Vox writer Julia Belluz divulged back in July that she believes Dr. Oz presents "unfounded medical advice" on his show, going so far as to call him a "quack" in her article's headline.
Sources for this article include:
Evil.news
Forbes.com
GMOJudyCarman.org[PDF]
Online.LiebertPub.com
StopOGM.net[PDF]
Forbes.com
Slate.com
Slate.com
WashingtonPost.com
MotherJones.com
PolitiFact.com
TheAtlantic.com
TheAtlantic.com
NGM.NationalGeographic.com
Newsweek.com
Newsweek.com
Newsweek.com
USAToday.com
Breitbart.com
Archive.is
Gawker.com
Salon.com
NYTimes.com
NewYorker.com
Vox.com
Vox.com
Here at Natural News, our goal is to cut through all the lies by providing you with real news that often gets ignored or vilified by the corporate propaganda pushers. But we also want our readers to be aware of which media sources are guilty of actively spreading disinformation and propaganda so they can avoid them, which is why we've put together the 2015 Media Fail Awards highlighting the most biased, pseudo-journalistic fake news sources that publish lies meant to deceive and mislead the public.
1) Forbes. For being one of America's top business and finance news outlets, Forbes sure does have a strange obsession with pushing biotechnology. Former Forbes.com writer Jon Entine made quite a name for himself in independent media circles after he published a series of articles attacking natural health protocols and endorsing genetically modified organisms (GMOs), in which he made the following absurd statements:
"[T]here is not one published study that suggests that GM soy products are any less nutritious than alternatives; nor are they, or any approved GMO food, harmful in any way," Entine wrote in a 2014 critique of a Consumer Reports analysis that found fault with soy milk and other alternative milk products.
"In fact, it's well established that organic products... are more likely to have a higher risk of pathogen contamination," he added.
Except for the fact that studies like this one,[PDF] this one and this one prove that Entine is a liar.[PDF]
In 2015, Forbes.com published a propaganda piece by Monsanto Regulatory Policy Lead Dr. Ray Dobert claiming that GMOs have "not had a single documented instance of harm to human or animal health."
2) Slate. This Washington Post-affiliated Big Ag rag published a number of articles in 2015 praising Planned Parenthood for illegally selling aborted human baby parts, chastising Dr. Mehmet Oz for trying to help people heal naturally and falsely accusing those who have concerns about GMO safety of being non-thinkers.
Slate shill writer William Saletan wrote the following back in July, outrageously insinuating that organic food is somehow more dangerous than GMOs:
"[I]f you look at illness or direct fatalities... you can make a better case against organic food than against GMOs."
Mark Joseph Stern also wrote that same month that Planned Parenthood's illegal trafficking of aborted baby body parts is "deeply commendable."
3) The Washington Post. When healthy fast casual food chain Chipotle decided to convert its entire menu to non-GMO ingredients, The Washington Post went on a verbal rampage, claiming that the Colorado-based company is contradicting science and putting people's health at risk by offering them food items grown the way nature intended.
The WP editorial board published an outrageous article claiming that Chipotle's catering to its customer base by offering the foods they want is somehow part of a "global propaganda campaign that is not only contrary to the best scientific knowledge but also potentially harmful to vulnerable populations around the world."
Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
4) Mother Jones. This pro-vaccine sellout magazine used to offer a more balanced view of world events from the perspective of environmental protection and anti-corporate cronyism. But today, Mother Jones has become a peddler of lies, repeatedly denying sound science that debunks the industry talking point that vaccines are in no way linked to causing autism.
In multiple attacks against presidential frontrunner Donald Trump this past year, Mother Jones writers went on the offense against the notion that vaccines may not be as safe as we've all been led to believe. For simply suggesting that vaccines harmed the child of one of his employees, Trump was accused by Mother Jones of spreading "anti-science nonsense."
"Trump is an advocate for the completely baseless theory that vaccines can cause autism," wrote Jeremy Schulman for Mother Jones.
5) PolitiFact. This "critical" newspaper prides itself on supposedly having an acute sense of being able to dissect truth from error. But PolitiFact has been caught repeatedly lying about world events in an effort to protect the status quo.
When the rest of the mainstream media was going nuts earlier in the year about the alleged Disneyland measles outbreak, PolitiFact was quick to publish pro-vaccine propaganda claiming that all vaccines are unabashedly safe.
"There's a lot we don't know about what causes autism," admitted PolitiFact's Steve Contorno in an article published last February, only to immediately add, "but doctors we spoke with said you can definitely rule out vaccines."
And doctors we spoke with have ruled out the possibility that Mr. Contorno is mentally sound.
6) The Atlantic. Another Monsanto-aligned propaganda rag is The Atlantic, which was exposed in 2015 for colluding with the biotechnology interest to defend the crumbling reputation of GMOs. After publishing several articles claiming that "independent researchers" have vindicated GMO safety, it was revealed that these "independent researchers" were actually paid biotech shills.
Shamed University of Florida professor Kevin Folta was given a platform by The Atlantic to vilify natural food proponents, until he, too, was outed for accepting bribe money from Monsanto. The Atlantic has even opposed consumers' right to know what they're eating, calling the push for GMO labeling "a right to be misled."
In a patronizing expose attempting to destroy the reputation of Vani Hari, the popular online "Food Babe," writer James Hamblin quoted The Atlantic's darling Kevin Folta, maliciously accusing Hari of mobilizing an "army of blind followers who reject science and follow her words, to smear and harm the reputations of companies that are doing nothing wrong."
Poor little innocent Monsanto – right, Mr. Hamblin...
7) National Geographic. You may recall back in March when National Geographic released an issue of its magazine tagged on the front cover with the words "The War on Science" in large-type font. This poison-pushing periodical that used to focus more on nature decided to classify everyone who doesn't buy the "climate change" myth or corporate vaccine "science" of being a science-denier, and it wasn't shy about proclaiming this.
Next to these words, Nat Geo listed a series of beliefs that it implied are directly associated with scientific opposition, including the belief that "vaccinations can lead to autism" and "genetically modified food is evil," a subjective statement that completely ignores legitimate concerns backed by science. Nat Geo also wants its readers to believe that industrial waste chemicals commonly called "fluoride" are just natural minerals, and that people who oppose them are crazy conspiracy theorists.
"[F]luoride is a natural mineral that, in the weak concentrations used in public drinking water systems, hardens tooth enamel and prevents tooth decay.... That's the scientific and medical consensus."
In reality, most countries around the world either do not fluoridate water or have outright banned it, since it has been shown by actual science to be both ineffective and harmful, as the mainstream media is now slowly admitting.
8) Newsweek. Many people were shocked to learn in 2009 that Newsweek magazine endorsed killing off the sick and elderly in order to save healthcare dollars. Rather than conduct a thorough investigation into the waste and abuse surrounding the conventional medical system, which is entirely unsustainable, Newsweek instead published a report advocating for simply getting rid of those people who cost the most to keep alive.
In 2015, Newsweek decided to lick the boots of the Obama Administration with a puff piece claiming that Obamacare is the best thing for America since sliced bread. The propaganda piece dubbed vaccinations a key component of Obamacare's "culture of wellness and prevention," which isn't surprising since Newsweek has also published slanderous lies about senior gastroenterologist Dr. Andrew Wakefield.
Newsweek writer Stav Ziv denigratingly referred to Dr. Wakefield back in February as the "father of the anti-vaccine movement," which is utter rubbish since Dr. Wakefield's findings in his well-known paper were merely observational assessments, which he's repeatedly had to explain to his vicious attackers.
9) USA Today. When it's not busy obsessing over the Kardashians or discussing, ad nauseum, the minutiae of NFL quarterback Tom Brady's personal life, USA Today feigns as if it cares about real world events. But the perspective with which this popular magazine approaches important topics like GMOs and food freedom are disturbing, to say the least.
Back in May, the USA Today editorial board likened skepticism to the chemical industry's talking points on GMO safety to "kooky" conspiracy theories like believing that Elvis is still alive, or that the first moon landing was faked.
"Americans love conspiracy theories," the board wrote, warning that holding opposing beliefs to what the establishment insists is true represents a threatening form of "fear-mongering."
Furthermore, early in 2015, in the wake of the overhyped Disneyland measles outbreak, USA Today actually published a piece by corporate shill Alex Berezow calling for the imprisonment of parents who refuse to follow the CDC vaccine schedule.
10) Gawker. Regarded by some as one of the most immature news publications on the web, Gawker takes a top spot in the Media Fail Awards for publishing tabloid trash so ridiculously outlandish that it's almost humorous – almost. This racist, sexist gossip rag publishes all sorts of hate-filled nonsense, shaming everyone from video game developers to male athletes and successful white people.
Per Gawker's own self-assessment, it's top articles of 2015 include tributes to Justin Bieber's private parts, the infamous blue and (or) gold dress, and the public shaming of health enthusiast and "Food Babe" Vani Hari.
"For a product that's no healthier (than conventional), organic is more expensive," wrote Gawker writer Yvette d'Entremont in a tasteless bash piece entitled "The 'Food Babe' Blogger is Full of Sh**."
11) Salon. When it's not sympathizing with pedophiles and mocking Christians, Salon has a peculiar penchant for lashing out against people who don't blindly chug the vaccine Kool-Aid. In a recent piece likening vaccine skeptics to tin-foil-hat-wearing conspiracy theorists, Salon's Rob Brotherton had this to say:
"Parents who consciously choose to deny their children vaccines are putting not only their own child in harm's way, but other children, too."
Try saying that to the thousands of parents of vaccine-injured children, Mr. Brotherton.
12) The New York Times. One of the world's most well-known news outlets, The New York Times constantly takes the wrong side on nearly every issue. Vaccines, war, pharmaceuticals, big government, you name it – if it supports big industry at the expense of the little guy, The New York Times seems to be all for it.
Second only to The Wall Street Journal in terms of print circulation, The New York Times also has a love affair with gun control, pushing the idea that gun violence is "a public health challenge that is a lethal, daily threat" that can only be remedied with more infringements on the right to keep and bear arms.
13) MSNBC. America's founding fathers recognized that the freedom to own guns is important to prevent governments from becoming tyrannical dictatorships. But MSNBC thinks the Second Amendment is just a disposable afterthought that's outdated and ready to be scrapped, at least for anyone the government deems a "threat."
"I think we need to be taking every stride that we can to ensure as much safety as we can for the American people," stated New York Daily News editor Jim Rich on a segment with MSNBC's Chris Hayes.
14) The New Yorker. Those pesky anti-vaxxers are a thorn in the flesh for Media Fail Award-winner The New Yorker, which believes that anyone who questions vaccines is a "dangerous... minority" who "just don't care."
"Both measles and pertussis are now back, largely because increasing numbers of children remain unvaccinated," wrote Michael Specter for The New Yorker back in March, based on nothing but his own personal (and unfounded) opinion.
15) Vox. And then we have Vox, the media outlet that went nuts after TV celebrity Dr. Mehmet Oz dared to – gasp! – present novel ideas about medicine and food on his show that oppose the status quo. Vox has aligned itself with industry-backed quacks like former Big Tobacco shill Henry Miller in calling for Dr. Oz's removal from his prestigious post at the Columbia University School of Medicine.
Vox writer Julia Belluz divulged back in July that she believes Dr. Oz presents "unfounded medical advice" on his show, going so far as to call him a "quack" in her article's headline.
Sources for this article include:
Evil.news
Forbes.com
GMOJudyCarman.org[PDF]
Online.LiebertPub.com
StopOGM.net[PDF]
Forbes.com
Slate.com
Slate.com
WashingtonPost.com
MotherJones.com
PolitiFact.com
TheAtlantic.com
TheAtlantic.com
NGM.NationalGeographic.com
Newsweek.com
Newsweek.com
Newsweek.com
USAToday.com
Breitbart.com
Archive.is
Gawker.com
Salon.com
NYTimes.com
NewYorker.com
Vox.com
Vox.com
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Twitter
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Media Fail Awards at FETCH.news
Media Fail Awards at FETCH.news
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