Gov. Mike Parson, embarrassed by another spike in Missouri’s coronavirus infections, has once again resorted to his stock response: Shoot the messenger. Parson on Wednesday singled out the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, The Kansas City Star and the Missouri Independent nonprofit news site for spreading “propaganda” about the delta variant that’s raging across the state.
It’s a curious allegation, given that the data these and other credible news organizations have reported comes from official figures about new coronavirus infections, hospitalizations and deaths. That data for this supposed propaganda originates with Parson’s own government.
Even worse, Parson himself engaged in spreading misinformation by falsely claiming the Missouri Independent is “a George Soros organization” (a reference to the liberal Jewish billionaire and reliable boogeyman for right-wing fanatics). The trope of a supposed Soros/Missouri Independent connection — one with a disturbing undertone of antisemitism — has been debunked by fact-checkers.
