In his first contribution to the Twitter Files reporting, Alex Berenson reiterated the shocking story he published earlier about the events leading up to his ban from Twitter. According to internal communications provided to Berenson during discovery for his lawsuit against the social media platform, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, an “expert” often trotted out in the media, was relentlessly petitioning Twitter to silence him.
Four days after Gottlieb sent that email – and just 24 hours after he had a secret conference call with Twitter employees about me – Twitter permanently banned me, claiming I had violated its rules on Covid misinformation.
Even then, Gottlieb was not done trying to silence me. He pursued me after the ban, quickly informing Twitter when he learned that I had taken over another account to provide a new avenue for my reporting.
Gottlieb served as the FDA Director from May 2017 to March 2019. Yet, according to Berenson’s reporting, Gottlieb stayed in close contact with his former government colleagues and often made himself available to the Biden administration. In particular, email communications provided to Berenson and information publicly available indicate that Gottlieb was in regular contact with Andy Slavitt, who, at the time, served as a senior advisor to the administration’s COVID-19 response team.
At its heart was Gottlieb’s colleague and friend Andy Slavitt. Slavitt and Gottlieb know each other well. In April 2020, they co-authored a letter to Congress demanding expanded Covid contact tracing efforts. They also appeared together on interviews, including on Slavitt’s own “In The Bubble” podcast, which Pfizer sponsors.
Thanks to internal messages and email communications, it appears Berenson has a solid case that Twitter worked on behalf of the government to violate his right to free speech. While his Twitter account was already restored as part of a settlement with the company, he intends to pursue legal action against the other conspirators in his ban.
Related: WaPo: ‘GOP Thrusts Gas Stoves’ Because I Guess They Got Tired of Writing ‘Pounces’
While the personal pursuit of Berenson is shocking to anyone who values freedom of the press and freedom of speech, his reporting brings to light something many of us already knew. It should serve as a cautionary tale and further decrease your trust in the legacy media.
Gottlieb is a member of Pfizer’s board of directors. Yet during the pandemic, he appeared regularly on legacy media outlets that simply introduced him as the “former FDA Director Scott Gottlieb.” CNBC even made him a contributor following his exit from the agency. His status with a news outlet and the way the media introduced him gave him the veneer of an unbiased expert.
However, the media left viewers and readers ignorant of his fiduciary responsibility to the pharmaceutical giant. Due to his obligations, even if he had contradictory information about Pfizer’s product, he would be prohibited from disclosing it to the public. It would also be common for board members to receive additional compensation based on financial performance. By February 2022, Pfizer had banked $37 billion in vaccine sales.
Gottlieb had apparent conflicts every time he appeared to discuss the pandemic. His aggressive pursuit to silence jab skeptics like Berenson should make you question everything he ever said or will say. The media will not stop trotting him out any more than they will stop using other former administration officials, no matter what partisan non-profits or corporations currently pay them. These transfers from the public to the private sector are unbelievably common and very lucrative.
It is not just individual “experts” who may be compromised. Even peer-reviewed studies should be suspect. Take the current kerfuffle about gas stoves. The lead researcher in the gas stove study is Talor Gruenwald. He also happens to be a Research Associate at Rewiring America, a project of the Windward Fund, which in turn is a not-for-profit run by the far-left consulting firm Arabella Advisors.
Related: Attention Please, COVID Is Not Over. We Repeat, COVID Is Not Over.
Even The Atlantic calls Arabella “the massive progressive dark money group you’ve never heard of.” According to Influence Watch, the firm controls a $731 million pool of untraceable cash. According to the notes, Gruenwald worked for the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) when he started the study. RMI makes money on natural gas-to-electricity conversions and participates in the World Economic Forum.
No one involved in this study is interested in science or research. They are interested in a conclusion that supports their priors. So what is a citizen supposed to do when the media presents an “expert” or peer-reviewed research? It is clear they cannot rely on legacy media to inform them fully.
Look for prominent, qualified individuals who have changed their minds or have something to lose. People with something to lose who speak out aren’t looking for fame or money. Those who change their minds demonstrate an ability to incorporate new information into their worldview. Also, seek out people who are continuously curious and never say that the science is “settled.”
For someone to endorse the same positions about COVID today and give the same response that they did even a year ago should make you suspicious. Too much new information is available, and experience is the best teacher. On COVID and other issues, know who funded the study an article relies on. All published research has a funding line.
Another good source is alternative media. Here at PJ Media, you can get the investigations the legacy media can’t or won’t do. A VIP membership provides even more insight and is currently available for 40% off with the promo code SAVEAMERICA. You will not stay informed listening to media-selected “experts” for three minutes between interstitials, and the complexity we are facing deserves more than a sound bite.
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