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Ex-NYT science editor sounds off on media's longtime disinterest in lab-leak theory
By Charles Creitz
Published March 05, 2023
Former New York Times science editor Nicholas Wade sounded off about how, despite his research and expertise in the field, the media largely ignored his hypothesizing about coronavirus' origins.
In 2021, Wade wrote an essay in the "Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists" exploring the origins of the virus and the idea that "political agendas of governments and scientists have generated thick clouds of obfuscation," implicitly assisted by the media.
The article largely supported the lab-leak hypothesis, which Wade was asked at length about by "Life, Liberty & Levin" host Mark Levin.
Levin cited Wade's experience and expertise in the scientific field, and asked if — after his 2021 essay was published — he was invited on or covered by mainstream outlets.
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"Were you invited to discuss this on CNN?" Levin asked.
Wade said he appeared once on the network, on a program anchored by center-right Philadelphia radio host Michael Smerconish.
Besides that spot, Wade said he was never invited on MSNBC, or to write for his former employer.
"No, they were not interested," he said of the Times.
When Levin asked about the major broadcast television networks, Wade answered in the negative.
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Levin condemned the "absolute lack of curiosity" by the media in Wade and in further investigating the lab leak theory.
"The conclusion you reach here is we don't have enough evidence to say one way or another, but there's many more fingers that point to the lab and there's no fingers that point to this jump," Levin said.
"Don't you find it amazing, other than this guy Smerconish, that nobody was interested in talking to you? I mean, I read this thing and I immediately said, 'Let's get a hold of this gentleman. I want to talk to him.'"
Anthony S. Fauci (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Wade replied the theorizing over COVID-19's origins has become too politicized in that Republicans are more likely to believe the leak theory, while Democrats stick to the natural-origin "jump" theory.
"This seems so totally crazy to me," he said. "I just don't understand how it fell out that way. There's no rhyme or reason to it. Everyone should be interested just in the scientific facts, and it should have nothing to do with politics."
https://www.foxnews.com/media/ex-nyt-science-editor-sounds-off-medias-longtime-disinterest-lab-leak-theory