***To read the full blog, please check out the complete post on NewsBusters***
Like they were fighting a nicotine addiction, NBC Nightly News just didn’t want to give up wearing the masks. Last year, NewsBusters documented NBC’s “despair porn” cycle where the network would cheer on crippling lockdowns then mourn for the devastation they wrought. Well, it was a new version of that concept on Thursday as the network tried to spread fear of the CDC’s new no masks for the vaccinated guideline. Anchor Lester Holt even tried to get Dr. Anthony Fauci to disagree with it.
As he was coming on the air, Holt tried to ride the line of supporting the move while stoking suspicion and fear:
It's the news we have hoped for for over a year and yet there are mixed reactions tonight. Americans wondering if they're ready to drop the virus defense the mask has provided and if the decision was perhaps rushed, a response to building pressure from Congress and the public. But officials say it's really all about the success of the vaccines. At least one dose in the arms of over 152 million American adults.
As part of their first segment, correspondent Miguel Almaguer talked about how there were still COVID hotspots despite very low numbers throughout the country. “Tonight states like Washington, Oregon, and Michigan are still dealing with COVID hot spots. Hospitalizations there have also been an issue. In regions where COVID cases are still a problem, those face mask mandates may not go away any time soon,” he warned against the new rules.
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