Fox News Host Ripped For 'Complete Lie' During Brazen Prime Time Rant
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Fox News host Harris Faulkner is getting called out on Twitter for uttering a “blatant” falsehood about the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic as she criticized the protective measures imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Faulkner, who is getting a tryout in former host Tucker Carlson’s old prime time slot, claimed schools didn’t close in 1918.
Much like her predecessor, who becameinfamous for spreading COVID-19 misinformation, she was wrong.
School closures were not only common in 1918, studies have found they were effective in reducing the excess death rate from the so-called Spanish flu ― and so many people responded that a “community note” correcting the misinformation was appended.
Faulkner: You know, we didn't actually close schools in 1918, during the Spanish flu pandemic. We didn't even have penicillin back then. We did sacrifice. We suffered, but then we pressed on. pic.twitter.com/mfGGvmXVRr
— Acyn (@Acyn) June 7, 2023
“We didn’t even have penicillin back then,” Faulkner said. Penicillin isn’t used for flu, as antibiotics do not work against viruses. “We did sacrifice. We suffered. But then we pressed on.”
That “sacrifice” included 50 million dead globally, including 675,000 in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Harris clarified her comments after the show, focusing on the fact that some schools remained open during the 1918 pandemic, and saying that she invoked penicillin because “many flu deaths were caused by secondary, bacterial infections that take root in the weakened body, leading to pneumonia.”
Twitter users called out Faulkner for her comments on the broadcast:
This is a complete lie by @HARRISFAULKNER. Utter and total falsity. You would think these fools would have some shame after paying Dominion hundreds of millions of dollars. https://t.co/7KVm3rWxUqpic.twitter.com/29q3GvJQod
— Bradley P. Moss (@BradMossEsq) June 7, 2023
Make America 1918 Again?
— Amy McGrath (@AmyMcGrathKY) June 7, 2023
So we should do the same stupid shit we did a hundred years ago? 50? 20? Should we start riding horses to work? Should we get movies at Blockbuster ? Send faxes ?
— andyroddick (@andyroddick) June 7, 2023
*actually* we did in fact close schools in 1918 during the Spanish flu pandemic. She doesn’t know what she’s talking about, you’ll be stunned to hear. https://t.co/AZ0dqi60wlhttps://t.co/husEOBvQaE
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) June 7, 2023
Harris Faulkner: "We didn't actually close schools in 1918, during the Spanish Flu pandemic."
This is blatantly untrue and takes about 3 seconds to fact check. pic.twitter.com/eojxS9eVE7— Kat Abu (@abughazalehkat) June 7, 2023
My God. This is an ABSOLUTE LIE from @HARRISFAULKNER. U.S. schools were absolutely closed in 1918. A basic ass Google search would have revealed this. This is beyond shoddy journalism. It’s straight up LYING. https://t.co/jyupIrxTmT
— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) June 7, 2023
Wow! She talks like she was there. How old is she? Is she a vampire?
— Wiseguy (@xwiseguyx) June 7, 2023
I don’t know why, but some of this foolishness continues to baffle me. The straight up lies. The revisionist history.
“We” absolutely closed schools in 1918 and it takes a nanosecond to find credible sources detailing this. https://t.co/nFIFjpIYRH— Nicole Carr (@NicoleFCarr) June 7, 2023
Narrator: In the fall of 1918 and winter of 1919, as the influenza pandemic spread across the nation, the majority of schools in the United States were closed for weeks if not months. https://t.co/bwrzG4r4lN
— Radio Justice 📻🎙⚖ (@justiceputnam) June 7, 2023
She's lying, of course. Schools were closed nationwide, except for three cities. The schools that remained open implemented strict mitigation and inspection rules. https://t.co/v3kysb8I1i
— Bob Cesca (@bobcesca_go) June 7, 2023
Maybe @HARRISFAULKNER needs to do a little bit of research before she talks about the 1918 Flu pandemic, because some communities closed schools to slow the spread (BTW penicillin is an antibiotic, & not appropriate to treat a viral infection) https://t.co/hSkk3r3WbKhttps://t.co/mKl2n0k7xLpic.twitter.com/BMv1X2td5A
— Joanna Snark 🔥 🩸 🐉 (@rebellegrrl) June 7, 2023
Took about 10 seconds to find this. https://t.co/eqkxQOXnLUpic.twitter.com/tVQE2UEPYy
— jordan (@JordanUhl) June 7, 2023
Throughout the height of the pandemic, Harris Faulkner would only broadcast her show from the safety of her house. https://t.co/4715fDHw4u
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) June 7, 2023