This display is embarrassing enough, but the reaction is even worse.

The popularity and deification of Dr. Anthony Fauci over the past year has been mystifying to watch for many plugged into the news cycle. The man has been a regular source of contradictory directives and conflicting data points, all the while held up as an authoritative source from which arguments can be grounded. Dispute his claims, or point out how he is saying the opposite of prior instruction, and you can be branded an anti-science medical opponent.

The press, of all people, should be attuned to these issues, but instead, they have embraced this man, consistent errors and all. The latest comes from the New York Times, which manages to completely embarrass itself by staging what it dubs ‘The Fauci Awards.’ This was timed in concert with this past weekend’s Academy Awards, and what the intent was here is to celebrate the extraordinary public health officials. 

An awards show for 2020. And the winner is… pic.twitter.com/mzqhSEUJ5R

— New York Times Opinion (@nytopinion) April 24, 2021

The result is something else entirely. If anything, it makes opposing public health directives seem like the pragmatic move

They are the doctors and scientists who keep our water clean, our restaurants safe, they stop outbreaks of the disease, and even keep mosquitoes from taking over.

Well, this is certainly great to hear, though I would like to have a discussion with the doctor who made the determination that in California they could open restaurants, so long as they did not turn on the televisions inside the establishments. I still have not seen the data on how this restricts transmission of the virus.

What this video was meant to be was a presentation of unquestioning support of all medical professionals, all while brandishing an award in the shape of a winged letter F. A series of clips showing people angrily disputing medical claims was the precursor to then honoring a number of specific medical practitioners. This was highlighting how many workers in the field have been threatened, leading to the announcement that over 60 doctors across the country have either quit or been fired over the past year.

Over 250,000 Americans have died – this is what happens when we don’t listen to our scientists. It shouldn’t be this way. Our public health officials deserve our trust, our support, our recognition — and who knows, maybe even a real awards ceremony.

There is no exploration into these stories of dispatched doctors, no curiosity about what had people so enraged. But the slanted perspective is evident when you see The Times declare these people deserve to be trusted, then award them a trophy named after the man who has burned that trust repeatedly over the past year.

The way this has been received is actually rather fitting — it has been avoided almost as roundly as the Academy Awards were ignored Sunday evening. After being posted Sunday afternoon this pathetic fawning display has only been retweeted barely two dozen times and liked a paltry 70 times. This is after being viewed, mind you, tens of thousands of times. That is a resounding eye-roll of epic proportions. The New York Times should be embarrassed by this, but they are members of the mainstream media — we all know by now that is an emotion not in their possession.