While we're
not always fans of the Tampa Bay Times' "
Politifact" fact-checking feature, this is one year it stumbled on the truth, naming Ebola exaggerations and misrepresentations "
Lie of the Year." In doing so, it specifically name-checks (among others) the execrable
George Will and
Sen. "Ayn Rand" Paul (Aqua Buddha-KY). Here's a sampling:
Fox News analyst George Will claimed Ebola could be spread into the general population through a sneeze or a cough, saying the conventional wisdom that Ebola spreads only through direct contact with bodily fluids was wrong.
"The problem is the original assumption, said with great certitude if not certainty, was that you need to have direct contact, meaning with bodily fluids from someone, because it’s not airborne," Will said. "There are doctors who are saying that in a sneeze or some cough, some of the airborne particles can be infectious." False.
As for self-certified ophthalmologist Paul:
U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., described Ebola as "incredibly contagious," "very transmissible" and "easy to catch." Mostly False.
Remember how Ebola was gonna getcha 'cause of the incompetent Obama administration? Another right-wing meme bites the dust. Never fear, though! There are more coming down the road, to be mindlessly catapulted into the public consciousness by the "mainstream media."
