WASHINGTON — Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. confronted CNN host Dana Bash on Sunday, accusing the network of "press malpractice" and "fear-mongering" during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kennedy said CNN and other outlets failed in their journalistic duty to maintain "fierce skepticism toward authority." He told Bash the network was not doing its job, instead choosing to "beat up on people who were dissenting" from official narratives.
He directly questioned Bash about her own engagement with scientific information during the pandemic. "Were you reading the science yourself?" Kennedy asked.
Bash countered that Kennedy's public statements had contributed to "vaccine hesitancy in this country" and undermined public health efforts by sowing doubt about established medical interventions.
Bash began to say she was concerned Kennedy had made "untrue things, or statements that were not supported by evidence or scientific studies" when appearing on the program. Kennedy interrupted her before she could finish, reiterating his criticisms of media conduct.
Kennedy told Bash she was "part of the problem" for CNN's pandemic coverage, accusing the network of actively frightening viewers rather than reporting soberly.
Kennedy's critical stance on public health institutions and media coverage of health issues predates his cabinet role. His appointment as HHS secretary by President Trump brought that perspective into the executive branch's highest health office.
