Wilful and Politically-Biased Ignorance: The Mainstream Media’s Reportage on Trump’s Picks

I don’t need to get into Matt Gaetz or Pete Hegseth territory here.

Let’s just takes Trump’s nominees for FDA Commissioner, CDC Director, and Surgeon General.  Let’s start with one article:

What to know about Trump’s picks for CDC, FDA and surgeon general.

It’s from NPR.  Taxpayer-funded broadcasting.

Here’s another, what PBS has to say on the matter.  More taxpayer-funded broadcasting: Trump names a Fox News personality, a COVID mandate critic and an anti-vaccine doctor to key public health roles.

I’m not sure how, after reading the headlines, or even reading the articles, anyone could imagine that any of these three people could be remotely qualified for their positions.  However, here are the facts:

Dr. Marty Makary (the “COVID Mandate Critic”) and Trump’s choice for FDA Commissioner is, according the the Johns Hopkins website, a member of its faculty:

and a board-qualified surgeon in Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery.  He is, “the chief of Islet Transplant Surgery at Johns Hopkins. He is the recipient of the Nobility in Science Award from the National Pancreas Foundation and has been a visiting professor at over 25 medical schools. He has published over 250 peer-reviewed scientific articles and has served on several editorial boards.  Dr. Makary is the recipient of the 2020 Business Book of the Year Award by the Association of Business Journalists for his most recent book, The Price We Pay. It has been described by Don Berwick as “a deep dive into the real issues driving up the price of health care” and by Steve Forbes as “A must-read for every American”.  Dr. Makary serves as a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and a professor, by courtesy, at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. His current research focuses on the underlying causes of disease, public policy, health care costs, and relationship-based medicine.

I want Dr. Makary on my side.

Dave Weldon (the “anti-vaccine doctor”) and Trump’s choice for CDC Director, is a six-term Representative for the 15th congressional district of the state of Florida from 1995 until 2009.  He is also an Army Veteran and a Medical Doctor (an Internist). While in Congress, he spoke up vocally in support of the transfer of the nation’s vaccine program to an agency independent of the Centers for Disease Control, citing a conflict of interest on the part of the CDC and its partnerships with what’s come to be called “Big Pharma.”  He’s also unapologetically pro-life, and rose to public attention for supporting the birth family of Terry Schiavo in their efforts not to have her feeding tube disconnected.

I don’t know if I agree with Dr. Weldon across the board (mostly I seem to), but he seems pretty qualified to me.  If what you’re looking for (which I think is what the Senate is supposed to be looking for) are actual qualifications for the position, rather than how congruent a nominee’s opinions are with what any particular Senator might find politically acceptable, then I think he gets through.

Then, there is Janette Nesheiwat (the “Fox News Personality”) and Trump’s choice for Surgeon General.  Most of the articles I’ve read don’t even mention the fact that she’s a board-certified doctor, or what she’s a doctor of.  Here are a couple of outtakes from her Wikipedia page:

Janette Nesheiwat was born in Carmel, New York, the daughter of Christian Jordanian immigrants…Nesheiwat is a board-certified physician in family medicine. Her early career included practicing in Northwest Arkansas, where she was also the host of Jones TV’s Family Health Today. In 2012, she was awarded the Red Cross community partner hero award. In 2013, Nesheiwat was selected by Arkansas Business for the publication’s annual “40 under 40” list which profiled 40 leaders in the state of Arkansas under the age of 40. She was noted for her medical practice, local television reporting, and international relief efforts in Haiti.

Again, I’d like her on my side.

This idea that–somehow–going against the accepted narrative, no matter what else worthy one has in one’s life story, or having in one’s past, served as a television host or commentator is at best a nothingburger, or at worst a disqualifying feature when it comes to public office, is a deeply troublesome concept. And so embarrassing, when it comes to the television personalities who deprecate and shame themselves for their own work.  At least, so it seems to me.

I’d far rather have people (like Dr. Nesheiwat, or Dr. Makary), who I’ve seen for years online or on TV, and who are pretty “out there” with their own opinions while they are still willing to listen to opposing points of view; or listen to a man of firm convictions like Dr. Weldon, than a shape-shifter like Anthony Fauci who appears out of nowhere and co-opts, from day to day and from moment to moment, the narrative, and the welfare of his fellow citizens to suit his own interests, proclaiming that “Attacks On Me, Quite Frankly, Are Attacks On Science!”  Yeah.  Whatever.  I think not.  Not sure, Anthony Fauci, you even know what “science” means.