[See NewsBusters for more.] The recent VA study that showed that hydroxychloroquine failed to show any benefit in treating and may even harm COVID-19 patients has led many in the media to say "told you so." Some, such as CNN's Brian Stelter, have gone even further, who claimed on Wednesday's CNN Newsroom that President Trump and various Fox News personalities' advocacy of it has been dangerous.
After Dr. Jonathan Reiner gave a fairly reasonable explanation that despite his and Trump's honest desire for a quick treatment, the data just isn't there for hydroxychloroquine, host John King declared that both the media and the White House should be responsible in how they talk about potential cures, but only one of them is actually doing so, "that's the point about the responsibility of our business and the president, but we can only speak, I can only speak for our business. I don't speak for him in that. As the doctor notes, we need more data, we need more evidence. But in anxious times, people do sometimes look to people they trust for guidance, and we know there was a run on this drug."