ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, CNN, MSNBC, and The New York Times have yet to prominently feature newly declassified COVID-19-related records released by Director of the National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, despite the documents reviving debate over federal funding for coronavirus research and the origins of the pandemic.
The records include emails, intelligence materials, internal communications, and other government documents related to research involving the Wuhan Institute of Virology and official assessments of COVID-19’s origins.
Gabbard said the documents show former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci supported U.S.-funded coronavirus research linked to the Wuhan laboratory and later sought to dismiss the lab-leak theory. She also alleged that key information about the origins of COVID-19 was not fully disclosed during the pandemic.
The release has renewed scrutiny of federal funding for coronavirus research, the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and Fauci’s role during the pandemic. However, the documents have not received prominent coverage from ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, CNN, MSNBC, and The New York Times since their release.
Gabbard released the records as part of a broader effort to declassify materials related to COVID-19 and decisions made by federal agencies during the pandemic.
The documents are expected to add to ongoing debate over the origins of COVID-19 and the federal government’s handling of information related to the pandemic.
