Over the past 7 years, media discussions of the Evergreen protests have focused heavily on, and been heavily influenced by, Bret Weinstein. As the years have gone by, Weinstein, a central figure in those protests, has become, an increasingly prominent figure in national discussions of disinformation, censorship, and the uses and misuses of social media in regard to COVID origins, vaccine safety, and the drug Ivermectin as an alternate treatment or prophylactic. In late August/early September 2021, articles both critical of and support of Ivermectin as a COVID treatment regularly gave him top billing alongside mega-influencers Joe Rogan, Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham, and Alex Jones. A Brookings Institution study in early 2023 listed Weinstein’s podcast, Darkhorse, as the fifth most misleading “political talk show[] airing false, misleading and unsubstantiated claims.” Weinstein was appointed by Ron DeSantis to the Florida Public Health Integrity Committee, and in 2024 testified as part of U.S. Senator Ron Johnson's round table Federal Health Agencies and the COVID Cartel: What Are They Hiding?
In early 2024 via two appearances on Tucker Carlson’s show, one on Joe Rogan's, and one on Alex Jones’s Infowars, Weinstein branched out into sensational claims about immigration, the Chinese military, and AIDS. Weinstein's Twitter account quickly surpassed one million followers. His new claims reached millions of people and constitute further afterlives of the Evergreen protests.
While much of the media discussion of Weinstein's views on these issues no longer mentions Evergreen, the issues of evidence and argument central to this bibliography are front and center, and, as with the Evergreen protests themselves, there is an unusual amount of publicly available information that would allow for well-informed and considered analysis of claims Weinstein makes, as well as the media representation of those claims. The Evergreen protests of 2017 and their continuing impacts cannot be understood without an awareness of Weinstein's rhetorics, their propagation in the media, and the responses to them. What we might call the COVID Debates shed further light on these rhetorics and the media response to them. And 2024 sees these rhetorical strategies applied to new topics and reaching new and larger audiences.
This page will collect citations to articles, etc., that may not focus on Evergreen, but which do help illuminate Weinstein's role in the COVID Debates as well as his increasing influence on other issues. As with the main bibliography, the focus will be on text-based resources that somewhat resemble traditional print news media (from reasonably established blogs to the New York Times). There is far too much long-form video and audio content to track, and too much chatter on Twitter, so with some exceptions, citations to those media forms, despite their importance, will only be selectively included here.
Messick, Brandon. "Board of Supervisors candidate espouses potentially false covid statements". News-Herald Havasu News. 20 March, 2024.
A local Board candidate, speaking more broadly against vaccines, cites Weinstein in making the claim that “The covid vaccination killed more people than the Vietnam War.”
Jones, Ja'han. "Aaron Rodgers suggested immigrants might join the military and turn on the U.S." MSNBC: The Reidout Blog. 18 March, 2024.
Rodgers, a long-time elite quarterback for the Green Bay Packers now with the New York Jets, and also reportedly under consideration to be Robert Kennedy's vice-presidential candidate, is quoted citing Weinstein as his main source for his "f---in' scary' concern that "Spanish-speaking" and Chinese immigrants who might get citizenship by joining the U.S. military would be more likely to "turn on their own people" (by which he means U.S. citizens).
Coyle, Jerry. "Bret Weinstein denies that AIDS is caused by HIV". Why Evolution is True. 11 March, 2024.
Coyle, whose blog leans conservative and moderately 'anti-woke', and who covered and supported Weinstein during the Evergreen protests, reviews recent claims Weinstein has made, concluding that he is "a medical conspiracy theorist" engaging in "quackery" and "pseudoscience" that "can cost lives".
Leonard, Tom. "Are the thousands of Chinese 'migrants' flooding into the U.S. really a sleeper army of spies and soldiers preparing for war? " Daily Mail. 8 March, 2024.
Gonsalves, Gregg. "AIDS Denialism Is Back. We Can’t Let It Take Root." The Nation. 8 March, 2024.
A veteran AIDS activists puts Weinstein's recent suggestions about HIV and AIDS in the context of AIDS denialism of the 1990s. Gonsalves writes:
"It’s now 2024 and AIDS denialism is back, this time advanced by Joe Rogan, Bret Weinstein, and the least of the lesser Kennedys, RFK Jr. Not satisfied with their promotion of Covid conspiracies and anti-vax hysteria—which, judging by the continued spread of Covid and childhood infections like measles, has been a big success—this sad little trio has turned its attention to an even older set of myths. Weinstein, a professor-turned-crank with a depressingly large following, went on Rogan’s podcast recently and disseminated long-discredited junk about what causes HIV and AIDS. Where did he get these ideas? From RFK Jr., of course."
Pinsky, Drew. "Bret Weinstein: Unprotected US Border Is Creating A Humanitarian Crisis At Darien Gap, As “Military Age” Men Disguised As Refugees Enter and Disappear" Ask Dr. Drew. 5 March, 2024.
"LIVE: “FEDERAL HEALTH AGENCIES AND THE COVID CARTEL: WHAT ARE THEY HIDING?” ROUNDTABLE". The HighWire. 26 February, 2024.
Weinstein speaks for a few minutes as a member of Senator Ron Johnson's Roundtable. He asks: "What are they hiding?" And answers: "They are hiding everything." Weinstein goes on to say that his analysis is one that can "not only describe the present but in my experience also predict the future with all but perfect accuracy."
Singal, Jesse. "Bret Weinstein Sure Has A Lot Of Theories" Singal-minded. 22 February, 2024
A critical summary of relatively recent claims that Weinstein has made having to do with covid vaccines, immigration, HIV, insinuation of murder, and a hypothesis that "That the Chinese one-child policy is a lineage adaptation to generate a conquering army of males that can be sent to the U.S. and become a fifth column in the military, replacing the independent-minded and principled soldiers who lost their jobs for refusing to get vaccines"
Seder, Sam. " 2/22 SCOTUS News: The Good, Bad & Ugly; Nuclear Instability w/ Mark Joseph Stern, Michael Klare" The Majority Report. 22 February, 2024.
Podcast has a short segment on Weinstein and Rogan's HIV skepticism
"The MM+M Podcast: Ep 347". The MM+M Podcast. 21 February, 2024.
The last 5 minutes or so discuss Weinstein’s comments on HIV and AIDS during his recent appearance on the Joe Rogan podcast, and relate this to Weinstein’s other unsupported claims about vaccines and ivermectin, and the impact of medical information more generally
Oliver, Susan. "Joe Rogan and Bret Weinstein resurrect AIDs denial for clicks" Back to the Science. 20 February, 2024.
Shermer, Michael. [Tweet Feb 18]. X. 18 February, 2024.
A well known skeptic and self described friend of Weinstein challenges three claims that Weinstein has made in his recent high profile appearances. Specifically he challenges Weinstein's assertions that AIDS may not be caused by HIV, that the MRNA manufacturers willingly and knowingly sold (ineffective and dangerous) mRNA vaccines to the public for profit, and that Kary Mullis's death was suspicious and possibly linked to Anthony Fauci.
Al-Sibai, Noor. "Joe Rogan’s Idiotic New Theory: AIDS Is Caused by Poppers" Yahoo News. 17 February, 2024.
Straub, Trent. "Joe Rogan and Spotify Amplify AIDS Denialism" POZ. 16 February, 2024.
Shermer, Michael. [Tweet Feb 16]. X. 16 February, 2024.
Cohen, Joshua. "Joe Rogan Provides A Platform To HIV/AIDS Denialists". Forbes. 15 February, 2024.
LaChance, Mike. "Border Patrol Agents Have Encountered Over 20,000 Chinese Nationals in Fiscal Year 2024" Legal Insurrection. 15 bFebruary, 2024.
Merlan, Anna. "Joe Rogan and Bret Weinstein Promote AIDS Denialism to an Audience of Millions" Vice. 15 February, 2024.
Jones, Alex. "Globalist Plan To Destroy Civilization and How We Can Save It: Dr. Bret Weinstein Full Interview". Infowars. 14 February, 2024.
Rogan, Joe. "#2101 -- Bret Weinstein". Joe Rogan Experience. 13 February, 2024.
Hart, Dan. "China Continues Funding Iran, Russia as Regime Sends Nationals through Southern Border". The Washington Stand. 12 February, 2024.
Ellenbogen, Romy and Christopher O'Donnell. "DeSantis praises COVID-19 grand jury report, which some scientists criticize" Tampa Bay Times. 10 February, 2024.
In an article detailing the lack of evidence provided in the newly released Florida grand jury report, Weinstein is mentioned once as being on DeSantis' panel lauding the report's critique of covid vaccines, mask mandates, and lockdowns.
Kavanagh, Christopher, and Matthew Browne. "Decoding the Gurus: The Passion of the Jordan and the Wisdom of the Bret." Decoding the Gurus. 9 February, 2024.
Staff. "Governor Ron DeSantis and Experts Discuss Grand Jury Report on COVID-19". Ron DeSantis, 45th Governor of Florida. 9 February, 2024.
Weinstein, a member of DeSantis' Public Health Integrity Committee, is quoted: "“There have been some accounting tricks used to make COVID-19 seem more dangerous than it really was. There is something odd that a fundamental principle of public health was thrown under the bus,”"
Dreher, Rod. "In Praise of Conspiracy Theories: From The Camp of the Saints to Camps in the Darién Gap" The European Conservative. 5 February, 2024.
Dreher reports that in his latest interview with Tucker Carlson, Weinstein says he "thinks it’s possible that the Chinese have bought off American politicians to turn a blind eye to the invasion." (the invasion meaning chinese immigration to the U.S., apparently).
Dragu, Paul. "UN and US Funding Border Invasion From Central America" The New American. 5 February 2024.
Two people talk for 40 minutes about Weinstein's views on immigration based on his appearance with Tucker Carlson.
Wilkinson, T.P. "Darién Gaps and Injun Country". Dissident Voice. 5 February, 2024.
Gorski, David. "COVID-19 antivax quacks are now “repurposing” ivermectin for cancer". Science-Based Medicine. 5 February, 2024.
Single mention of Weinstein as one of the "who’s who of the COVID-19 era antivax movement"
Oliver, Neil. "Darién Gap difficulty | Mass migration through one of 'the most IMPENETRABLE jungles in the world'". GB News. 4 February, 2024.
Durden, Tyler. ""This Is Not Friendly" - Bret Weinstein Shows Tucker Carlson How China & The UN Are Driving The Invasion Of America". Zerohedge. 2 February, 2024.
Wilson, Dan. "Bret Weinstein did not keep his word on Tucker Carlson's show". Debunk the Funk. 1 February, 2024.
In October, Weinstein said he would recant his views on covid mrna vaccines and immune responses if experts would address his arguments specifically and show how those views were wrong. Debunk the Funk responded by assembling responses from several virology/immunology experts, each providing detailed scientific criticism of some of Weinstein's argument. Weinstein said that he staked his reputation on his views, and that he would respond to the criticisms presented on Debunk the Funk. But 4 months later (early Feb 2024), Wilson reports that he has not.
Carlson, Tucker. "The Tucker Carlson Encounter: Bret Weinstein at the Darien Gap". The Tucker Carlson Encounter. 1 February, 2024
Weinstein details his trip to immigration points in the Darien Gap, facilitated by Michael Yon, adopting Yon's view of immigration-as-invasion, and adding an unusual evolutionary argument relating to immigrants from China. For crucial context, see this later article from the New York Times Magazine: Chasing Clicks in the Jungle: Right-Wing Influencers Descend on the Darién Gap.
Gomez, Hailey. "‘Not A Friendly Migration’: Bret Weinstein Details Trip To Darien Gap With Tucker, Warns About Alleged Chinese Camp". The Daily Caller. 1 February, 2024.
Schwartz, Ian. "Aaron Rodgers: People Ask Me Why Don't I Move On From COVID, "They Lied To Us Over And Over"". RealClearPolitics. 9 January, 2024.
Rodgers cites Weinstein's "informed opinion" as one of his main sources for his claims that the government regularly lied about various COVID-related issues, including vaccines, lockdowns, and alternative treatments..
Payne, Ed. "Fact Check: COVID-19 Vaccines Did NOT Kill 17 Million People -- Coronavirus Was Killer." Lead Stories. 9 January, 2024
Fact checking site Lead Stories investigates Weinstein's apparent claim on Tucker Carlson's show that mRNA technology has killed over 17 million people. Lead Stories concludes that the claim is clearly false and likely based on basic misunderstanding of causal inference.
Carlson, Tucker. "The Tucker Carlson Encounter: Bret Weinstein". The Tucker Carlson Encounter. 5 January, 2024.
In a nearly hour-long interview, likely seen by several million people, Weinstein says, among many other things, that he has seen a " credible estimate of something like 17 million deaths globally from this technology [mRNA]"
Wilson, Dan. "Will Bret Weinstein keep his word? Let's find out!". Debunk The Funk. October? 2023.
After showing clips of Weinstein saying he is staking his reputation on his claims about covid mrna vaccines and the immune system, and will recant if experts show how his explanations are wrong, Wilson brings in four experts to address the specific shortcomings of Weinstein's arguments.
[Weinstein later acknowledged that he had seen this video and promised to respond to it, but has not as of early Feb 2024].
Solenkova, Natalia. "Voices in the Vacuum". Science-Based Medicine. 30 May, 2023.
Solenkova reviews several cases of medical professionals facing abuse online for calling out specific cases of medical misinformation, including her own case, in which someone faked a tweet under her name which "made it to Joe Rogan's show, where he and Bret Weinstein discussed it for 11 minutes", fooled into thinking it was in fact a tweet from Solenkova.
Solenkova's larger point is that the kind of online abuse that is instigated by the viral misinformation spread by figures like Rogan discourages medical professionals from publicly challenging medical misinformation, potentially depriving readers of a useful frontline perspective. See Eban, below, for more information on Solenkova's personal case.
Sexton, Christine Jordan. "Florida Public Health Integrity Committee members give WHO pandemic treaty mixed reviews". Florida Politics. 22 May, 2023.
Weinstein, in his role as a member of DeSantis' Public Health Integrity Committee, "called the WHO and the CDC 'captive organizations' and said there are no longer any trustworthy officials at either institution". Weinstein then likened both organizations to a rabid dog.
Eban, Katherine. "Inside Ron DeSantis’s Plan to Ride Anti-vaxxism to the White House". Vanity Fair. 21 March, 2023.
References Weinstein's placement on DeSantis' Public Health Integrity Committee, and in reference to a viral fake tweet falsely attributed to a Florida critical care nurse, states that Weinstein "spent 10 minutes dissecting the tweet on Joe Rogan’s podcast, claiming that it illustrated the demented mindset of vaccine lovers". A captured clip from the Rogan show that mostly fits this description actually shows Rogan talking, and Weinstein silent throughout. But since Rogan removed the clip after learning that the tweet was fake, maybe there were two segments, one featuring each talking?.
Thompson, Stuart A. "Steve Bannon’s Podcast Is Top Misinformation Spreader, Study Says." The New York Times. 9 February, 2023.
Citing the Brookings study (just below), Thompson reproduces a chart showing Weinstein and Heying's podcast as the 5th most misinformational "political talk show" (by their criteria) in their study, better than Bannon, Kirk, Travis, and Savage, but worse than Crowder, Levin, Hannity, and Guilani. One could compare this to the implied ranking in The Media Bias Chart.
Wirtschafter, Valerie. "Audible reckoning: How top political podcasters spread unsubstantiated and false claims." Brookings Institution. February, 2023.
Devotes about 2 paragraphs to Weinstein and Heying's podcast DarkHorse, suggesting that their misinformation is relatively nuanced (compared to others on the list like Steve Bannon and Sean Hannity) and tends to involve "misunderstandings of science". The author includes a specific example and a specific critique having to do with the famous pair correlation and causation, complete with a clip from the podcast. The article highlights DarkHorse as a paradigmatic case of successfully parlaying academic credentials and use of scientific concepts to increase audiences while spreading misinformation.
WorldTribune Staff. "What happens after three doses of the Covid shot? Censors don’t want you to know" World Tribune. 30 January, 2023.
Purports to be an "analysis" of some of Weinstein's comments on the Joe Rogan show of January 5. Assuming the quotes presented here are accurate, they would seem to provide a good brief introduction to some of Weinstein's views on Covid and the mRNA vaccines, as well as his rhetorical style.
Thalen, Mikael. "Elon Musk pledges to investigate whether liberal ‘ghosts’ are still haunting Twitter’s algorithms and offices". The Daily Dot. 26 January, 2023.
This article has nothing to do with Covid or Evergreen, but actually does have something to do with Weinstein's punditry on both..
Fisher, Anthony L. "The Intellectual Dark Web’s Descent Into Paranoia and Trumpism" The Daily Beast. 19 January, 2023.
Mostly focused on Sam Harris' disillusion with the IDW. "Harris now says he’s confounded by certain behavior among that squad, such as fellow IDWer Bret Weinstein doing “a hundred episodes of his podcast in a row on the terrors of mRNA vaccines—and the sinister, shadowy cabal of people who have suppressed information about the life-saving power of ivermectin. It’s completely crazy.”"
Mackinnon, Joseph. "Sam Harris says we got 'unlucky' COVID was benign because far more dead kids would have prevented vaccine skepticism" The Blaze. 17 January, 2023.
Takes issue with a recent Sam Harris interview, attempts to summarize an intra-IDW difference of perspectives on vaccines and covid risks between Weinstein and Harris, and implies support for Weinstein's views.
Nazaryan, Alexander. "DeSantis blasted for 'Orwellian' vaccine investigation". Yahoo News. 15 December, 2022.
In a short but relatively expansive and useful review of vaccine skepticism with a focus on Florida and DeSantis, Nazaryan references Weinstein's appointment to DeSantis' "public safety committee", describing Weinstein as "a quasi-celebrity on the so-called Intellectual Dark Web with no professional experience in vaccinology."
Merlan, Anna. "Anti-Vaxers Celebrate Twitter's New COVID Misinformation Policy". Vice. 2 December, 2022.
Schemmel, Alec. "Feds fund 'expert-informed' internet toolkit to help users fight 'misinformation". KATV. 1 December, 2022.
Goldhill, Olivia. "Encouraged by right-wing doctor groups, desperate patients turn to ivermectin for long Covid" Stat. 26 July, 2022.
This is an impressively detailed article with background on the rise of Ivermectin-for-Covid advocacy in general, as well as for long Covid. After noting that “[Ivermectin advocacy] taps into existing under-currents. It becomes an act of resistance to what some people see as coercive acts of governments and others call public health”, Weinstein is the first pundit cited, ahead of Joe Rogan.
Stauffer, Todd. "Winners Announced in 2022 AAN Awards". aan.org (Association of Alternative News Media). 23 July, 2022.
Anthony Effinger's article "Drug and Pony Show" (aka "A Progressive Biologist From Portland Is One of the Nation’s Leading Advocates for Ivermectin" -- see Sept 15 2021 entry below), a critique of Weinstein's Ivermectin promotion, took first place for health care reporting in the AAN's annual awards.
Gorski, David. "New school” COVID-19 antivaxxers are becoming less and less distinguishable from “old school” antivaxxers". Science Based Medicine. 6 June, 2022.
A critique of Weinstein and other COVID vax critics, based on their comments at a May conference in Bath, England. Gorski argues that mRNA-vaccine critics were generally pro-vaccine early on , but that "'new school' antivaxxers are increasingly indistinguishable from 'old school' antivaxxers and that this fusion is increasingly endangering all public health"
Merlan, Anna. "Anti-Vaxxers Vow Not to Protect Themselves From Monkeypox". Vice. 25 May, 2022.
Merlan references a recent tweet from "Ivermectin enthusiast and COVID vaccine skeptic Bret Weinstein", in which Weinstein warned readers not to "surrender authority" to the WHO. Weinstein joins others like Tucker Carlson in stating this view, a view which the Washington Post described as part of "a visceral, passionate online backlash that falsely accuses the World Health Organization of conspiring to take power from national governments."
Passafiume, Alessia. "Elon Musk to buy Twitter for $44B. Here’s how Twitter is reacting". The Toronto Star. 25 April, 2022.
Passafiume introduces Weinstein's tweet congratulating Musk's takeover of Twitter in this way:
'Bret Weinstein, a believer in ivermectin’s ability to cure COVID-19 (it doesn’t), congratulated Musk and criticized so-called “book-burners,” for their need for “the number of free social media platforms to be zero.”'
Merlan, Anna. "The Ivermectin Guys’ Whole Thing Has Really Fallen Apart". Vice. 4 April, 2022.
Rozsa, Matthew. "Joe Rogan’s favorite Covid drug doesn’t seem to help at all, study concludes". Salon. 31 March, 2022.
Butterfield, Michelle. "Ivermectin doesn’t treat COVID or keep people out of hospital, study finds". globalnews.ca. 31 March, 2022.
Effinger, Anthony. "Ivermectin, the Parasite Drug Touted by Portland Podcaster Bret Weinstein, Is Shown to Be Worthless for Treating COVID-19". Willamette Week. 30 March, 2022.
Halloran, Mark. "On DarkHorse, Ivermectin, and Vaccine Hesitancy". Quillette. 22 March, 2022.
Transcription of an October 2021 interview with Eric Topol. A wide-ranging yet impressively specific discussion of Ivemectin and Covid Vaccine claims made by Weinstein and others. Quillette, formerly very Weinstein-friendly, has taken the gloves off when it comes to Covid vaccines and Ivermectin. Asked about Weinstein's central claims about vaccine toxicity, Topol replies:
"It’s all false. It’s all unacceptable lying; making things up. For example, Bret Weinstein on one of his podcasts said that the reason people get headaches post vaccination is because the mRNA from the vaccine crosses the blood brain barrier, and that’s what’s causing it. That’s ridiculous. This is what, in many ways, has ruined the American vaccination campaign, why we’re sitting at 56 percent fully vaccinated instead of 80 or 90 percent. Is this kind of fabrication. . . .There is no evidence that the mRNA vaccines, Pfizer and Moderna specifically, are cytotoxic. No evidence. To say this sort of thing is just outrageous."
Gertz, Matt. "10 Fox figures who recklessly promoted ivermectin as an effective COVID-19 treatment". Media Matters for America. 21 March 2022.
Blair, Alex. "Border reopening: New data places Australia last on Londoners’ travel list". News.au.com. 16 February, 2022.
South Australian senator Alex Antic is quoted from his appearance on Weinstein and Heying's DarkHorse Podcast.
Paterson, Alex. "New platform rules don’t apply to hate & misinfo on Rogan’s podcast". The Los Angeles Blade. 7 February, 2022
In an extensive list of "dangerous and unfounded" claims made on Joe Rogan's podcast, Paterson writes: "On June 22, Rogan dedicated an entire episode of his podcast with Dr. Pierre Kory and Bret Weinstein to promoting ivermectin as a prophylactic and therapeutic for COVID-19, even though it is an unproven and potentially dangerous treatment for the disease. During the podcast, Weinstein claimed that a study showed “ivermectin alone, if properly utilized, is capable of driving this pathogen to extinction,” and Rogan explained its use for prevention of COVID-19, saying, “All it means is to take the drug to anticipate that you may get it, so if you’re in a high-risk area you take it and it’ll protect you from infection.” Kory claimed that “ivermectin is the COVID killer and should be the mainstay of any early outpatient treatment regimen.”
Wagner, Cody. "Joe Rogan: Controversy at its Finest". The Courier. 7 February, 2022.
In the student publication of the College of DuPage, Wagner writes: "Another widely discredited COVID-19 claim resulted from an episode Rogan conducted with author and biologist Bret Weinstein, who stated “Ivermectin alone is capable of driving this pathogen to extinction.” That claim has also been widely refuted by the current consensus of medical professionals as well as the manufacturer of Ivermectin"
Pleat, Zachary. "Sinclair segment glosses over misinformation from Spotify’s Joe Rogan". MediaMatters for America. 4 February, 2022
Pennachia, Robyn. "Bari Weiss CANNOT BELIEVE YOU PEOPLE!". Wonkette. 1 February, 2022.
Flood, Brian. "How Joe Rogan became Public Enemy No. 1 to media liberals in the battle over COVID 'misinformation". Fox News. 1 February, 2022.
Geddes, Linda. "Joe Rogan’s Covid claims: what does the science actually say?". The Guardian. 31 January, 2022
Along with Rogan's own claims, the article discusses "controversial" Covid claims of Rogan's guests, including Weinstein, who said that "“ivermectin alone, if properly utilised, is capable of driving this pathogen to extinction." What the "science actually" says about this claim, according to Geddes, is summarized in this quote from a July 2021 review of the literature: "“Because of a lack of good-quality evidence, we do not know whether ivermectin administered in hospital or in an outpatient setting leads to more or fewer deaths after one month when compared with a placebo or usual care.”
Prestigiacomo, Amanda. "Joe Rogan Is The Media’s New Trump’: Efforts To Deplatform Rogan Podcast Grow, Defenders Rip Attacks". Daily Wire. 30 January, 2022.
Mervis, Scott. "Neil Young, Kid Rock and Meat Loaf are at the center of this week's COVID culture war" Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 26 January, 2022.
Merlan, Anna. "Joe Rogan's Friends Assemble in D.C. to Do Something They Say Isn't an Anti-Vax Rally" . Vice. 20 January, 2022.
Coyne, Jerry. "Bret Weinstein and Heather Heying go unvaccinated for Covid, take and promote Ivermectin instead". Why Evolution is True. 16 September, 2021
Coyne, after reading the article in Willamette Week about Weinstein and Heying's Ivermectin advocacy, accuses them of "dangerous and antiscientific madness" and states that "their reputation will be permanently marred in the community of rational thinkers." This is especially notable because Coyne had been a close and sympathetic follower of Weinstein's Evergreen story.
Effinger, Anthony. "A Progressive Biologist From Portland Is One of the Nation’s Leading Advocates for Ivermectin". Willamette Week. 15 September, 2021.
Provides substantial context for understanding Weinstein's rise to internet fame, with a focus on his claims about Ivermectin, but drawing in other examples of his contrarianism, including his role in relation to the protests at Evergreen. David Gorski, an oncologist and managing editor of Science Based Medicine, is quoted: "“Bret Weinstein is one of the foremost purveyors of COVID-19 disinformation out there . . . ".
In response to one of Weinstein's extreme claims, Eric Topol, a cardiologist, medical researcher, and well-known commentator on Covid-related themes, is quoted: "“For anyone to posit that people who get a headache are having mRNA go into their brain is totally irresponsible. It’s reckless. It’s sick. It’s predatory. It’s really sad.”
Weinstein refused to be interviewed for the article.
Koutsobinas, Nick. "NBC Host Begs Americans to Get Vaccinated in 'Poison' Parody Song". Newsmax. 12 September, 2021.
Weinstein is the first vaccine critic cited:
"While the Biden administration believes mass vaccinations are the best course for curbing COVID-19, some scientists are concerned that mass vaccination with a "leaky vaccine," according to biology professor Dr. Bret Weinstein who appeared on "The Joe Rogan Experience," may place evolutionary pressures on COVID-19 to develop into more variants"
Piper, Greg. "Texas hospital system bans ivermectin for COVID patients as their families demand 'wonder drug'" Just the News. 10 September, 2021.
IN addition to the Texas hospital case of the title, Piper focuses on legal efforts, coordinated by the Front Line Covid-19 Critical Care Alliance, to force hospitals to administer Ivermectin at the request of patients or their representatives. Weinstein gets top billing as an Ivermectin-for-COVID advocate, followed by Joe Rogan. Piper provides three pieces of evidence that the international medical community has shown interest in Ivermectin's anti-viral properties, but doesn't mention the specific studies being debated elsewhere.
Rogan, Joe. "#1705 -- Bret Weinstein and Heather Heying". Joe Rogan Experience. 9 September, 2021.
186 minutes! On Spotify. Requires free account.
Skurkiss, Peter. "A censored biologist views the COVID vaccine debacle as part of a 'noble lie'". American Thinker. 9 September, 2021.
A short, simple, cogent summary of one of the more plausible aspects of Weinstein's Ivermectin argument.
Cooper, Ryan. "The ivermectin saga exposes the dishonesty of the internet's professional contrarians". The Week. 9 September, 2021.
Hollander, Buzz. "Lessons From the Ivermectin Debacle". RealClearScience 8 September, 2021.
Agreeably nondogmatic survey of evidence regarding Ivermectin as a possible COVID med, and the hype around it. After noting that Weinstein has recently acknowledged that a study he had previously leaned heavily on has "zero . . . evidentiary value", Hollander concludes:
". . . I cannot grasp how someone with a background in science like Bret Weinstein could be so convinced by a single incredibly positive study from Argentina that they would take the message to millions via Joe Rogan’s podcast that ivermectin is more effective than vaccination to prevent Covid-19, without critically examining the study first. I do not understand how intelligent and experienced physicians like Paul Marik and Pierre Kory could issue a 30+ page position paper describing the dozens of studies on ivermectin for Covid-19 without a single mention that most of the studies had obvious flaws. It baffles me that respected researchers like Andrew Hall and Tess Lawrie would stake their professional reputations on the quality of trials that had red flags popping up all over them. All I can imagine is that they only engaged with each other, and not those who disagreed with their conclusions."
Gertz, Martin. "What’s getting obscured in the ivermectin debate". Media Matters for America. 8 September, 2021.
Ritchie, Stuart. "How the drug ivermectin became such a dangerous Covid meme". New Statesman. 7 September, 2021.
Ritchie argues that Ivermectin as a COVID med has become a dangerous meme, and, secondarily, that critics have responded with sometimes false countermemes. Along the way, Weinstein shares top-billing with Alex Jones as "conspiracy theorists [who] have both popped ivermectin pills live on air".
Paolo, William. "Ivermectin is the new hydroxychloroquine, take 4: Bret Weinstein misrepresents meta-analyses" ScienceBasedMedicine. 2 September, 2021.
Another informed commentator who takes Weinstein as the paradigmatic Ivermectin advocate, Paolo zeroes in on Weinstein's critique of Randomized Controlled Trials, but criticizes other aspects of Weinstein's arguments as well.
Jekielek, Jan. "Dr. Robert Malone, mRNA Vaccine Inventor, on Latest COVID-19 Data, Booster Shots, and the Shattered Scientific ‘Consensus’ (Part 1)". Epoch TV: American Thought Leaders. Transcript. 2 September, 2021.
Transcript of an interview with Robert Malone, one of the physicians most publicly associated with promoting Ivermectin for COVID. Malone says that Weinstein's DarkHorse podcast in June with himself and Steve Kirsch "catalyzed global interest" in doubts about vaccine safety and efficacy.:
"And recall, reeling back, what triggered this was this amazing podcast with Bret Weinstein and Steve Kirsch, where I don’t think at that point in time the world had really heard anyone questioning the underlying safety data assumptions and ethics of what was being done. There was a widespread sense of unease about these mandates and efforts to force vaccinations, and expedite the licensure of this and deploy it globally on the basis of very abbreviated clinical trials. There was a widespread sense of uneasiness.
But people didn’t really have language to express it. When that podcast happened, for some reason, it catalyzed global interest in a way that I didn’t expect. I still have people writing me, “I just saw the Bret Weinstein DarkHorse Podcast.” Something happened there, where events came together. I expressed some things that I had just been observing that I felt were anomalous in how the government was managing the situation, in the nature of the vaccines, in the testing of the vaccines, and in the ethics of how they were being deployed and forced on children, plus other things in various countries, including the United States."
Martin, Rebecca. "Timeline: Fox News has repeatedly promoted ivermectin as a therapeutic treatment for COVID-19". Media Matters for America. 2 September, 2021.
Martin's timeline includes Weinstein's July 9 appearance on Fox:
"On Tucker Carlson Today, Bret Weinstein promoted using ivermectin “off label” over COVID-19 vaccines because “neither is perfectly safe, but I would say ivermectin looks to be quite a bit safer.”
Chayka, Kyle. "Ivermectin, the Crate Challenge, and the Danger of Runaway Memes". The New Yorker. 2 September, 2021.
Like the earlier Washington Post article, Chayka places Weinstein along with Joe Rogan, Tucker Carlson, and Laura Ingraham as influential propagators of an Ivermectin meme.
Gonzalez, Oscar. "Ivermectin and COVID-19: Why people are taking this unproven, controversial drug". CNET. 1 September, 2021.
A couple of paragraphs are devoted to Weinstein's discussions of Ivermectin on his podcast and subsequent demonetization on YouTube. Unlike many articles dealing with this, Gonzalez correctly represents YouTube's policy, including this bit, which often goes unmentioned: "We do allow exceptions to our policy about ivermectin, including content that also gives viewers the full context of the FDA's current position.".
Walsh, Joe. "Joe Rogan Says He Has Covid — And Took Bogus Ivermectin ‘Cure’". Forbes.com. 1 September, 2021.
Weinstein is mentioned as an Ivermectin advocate who had been a guest on Rogan's podcast.
Knowles, Hannah. Annie Gowen, and Julian Mark. "Doctors dismayed by patients who fear coronavirus vaccines but clamor for unproven ivermectin". Washington Post. 1 September, 2021.
In a paragraph devoted to Laura Ingraham and Tucker Carlson, Weinstein is also mentioned as a featured guest promotinhg Ivermectin on Carlson's show.
Kabas, Marisa. "People Are Eating Horse Paste To Fight COVID. These Doctors Are One Reason Why." Huffington Post. 31 August, 2021.
Cooper, Ryan. "The Republican pandemic response is breaking my brain". The Week. 27 August, 2021.
An opinion piece in which Cooper refers to Weinstein as the "most prominent" "fringe quack" promoting Ivermectin and "anti-vaccine propaganda. Cooper describes Weinstein's approach in this way:
. . . the formula is simple and lucrative: raise fear, uncertainty, and doubt about the vaccines with complicated but false arguments that are hard for a layman to untangle, launder extreme claims by interviewing total lunatics, all while recommending unproven miracle remedies the shadowy Big Pharma conspiracy is supposedly suppressing. Then when you get in trouble for spreading antivaccine lies during a global pandemic, scream that you're being "censored" to get more attention, and watch the subscription numbers jump.
Dickson, E.J. "TikTok Is Full of Videos of People Promoting Ivermectin, the Horse Deworming Medication Falsely Touted as a Covid Cure". Rolling Stone. 26 August, 2021. (Paywall, but reproduced in Yahoo Entertainment: https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/tiktok-full-videos-people-chugging-222559244.html).
An interesting focus on Tik Tok specifically, but mentions Weinstein's appearance on Joe Rogan's podcast, incorrectly referring to Weinstein as a physician.
Carman, Ashley. "JOE ROGAN, CONFINED TO SPOTIFY, IS LOSING INFLUENCE". The Verge. 25 August, 2021.
Carman estimates the increase in Twitter followers that guests on Joe Rogan's podcast experience.
"Podcaster Bret Weinstein, for example, went on the show in February 2018, June 2020, and June 2021. He gained around 22,000 followers in June 2020, a significant jump over the 4,000 or so he gained in 2018. In June 2021, he gained 18,000, which is still a drop but not as significant as the ones we see in January or April."
Pengelly, Martin. "‘You are not a horse’: FDA tells Americans stop taking dewormer for Covid". The Guardian. 23 August, 2021.
Weinstein's prominence in the Covid Debates is suggested by the fact that he is the first person mentioned in this article focused on how "misinformation about ivermectin has spread on social media and through rightwing media and politicians".
Fuller, David. "On Bret Weinstein, Alternative Media, Ivermectin and Vaccine-Related Controversies". Areo Magazine. 12 August, 2021.
Notable as a critique of Weinstein and Heying's views on Ivermectin and COVID-vaccine toxicity coming from within the IDW universe. Ivermectin controversy nerds with lots of time on their hands can find the unabridged version in Fuller's article on Medium and in many videos at rebelwisdom.co.uk.
Bolies, Corbin. "Tucker Carlson Hyped These Fringe COVID Theories. The Science Just Fell Apart." Daily Beast. 16 July, 2021.
Creitz, Charles. "Biologist to Tucker: If Ivermectin proven effective against COVID, it moots vaccine push". Fox Nation. 9 July, 2021
Taibbi,Matt "If Private Platforms Use Government Guidelines to Police Content, is that State Censorship?". TK News. 2 July, 2021.
An article devoted to YouTube's demonetization of Weinstein and Heying's podcast videos.
Cain, Will. "Greenwald: Big Tech is training an entire population to accept authoritarianism". Fox News. Video. 25 June, 2021.
Ivermectin discussion begins about 3:16. Cain says Weinstein has had his podcast "almost kicked off of YouTube" as his main evidence that "even the idea of Ivermectin .. . is totally pushed off of social media . .. . you'll get banned"
Reuters Fact Check. "Fact Check-COVID-19 vaccines are not ‘cytotoxic’". Reuters Fact Check. 18 June, 2021
Kertscher, Tom. "The COVID-19 vaccines’ “spike protein is very dangerous, it's cytotoxic.”". PolitiFact. 16 June, 2021.
Stephens, Bret. "Media Groupthink and the Lab-Leak Theory". The New York Times: Opinion. 31 May, 2021.
"Republicans blast Dems' massive COVID-19 relief bill as pork-filled wish list". Fox News: The Five. 22 February, 2021
Greg Gutfeld references Weinstein on COVID origins: "But as biologist Bret Weinstein points out, we've reached a crucial fork in this road. If the virus came from the lab, we should shut all these labs down. But if the virus came from nature, then we need the labs to figure out which animal it was and how. "
Holloway, Henry. "LAB LEAK BOMBSHELL Brit WHO expert now admits Covid COULD have leaked from Wuhan lab as team finally visits site". The Sun. 3 February, 2021.
Holloway writes:
"The scientific community seems satisfied that Covid is a naturally formed virus, but some suggest it may have escaped from the lab due to improper safety procedures.
Just last week a US biologist Bret Weinstein suggested there is a 90 per cent chance it leaked from the lab while being interviewed by TV host Bill Maher."