Shameless Hypocrisy; Media And Government Advance In Lockstep
For over a year the State of New Jersey has been promoting uptake of federally-funded Covid-19 vaccines by residents through various methods, including NJ Dept. of Health (NJDOH) media campaigns. The City of Paterson has been the subject of many news stories about vaccination related activity. In late 2021 there were even reports of a "Mayors Vaccine Challenge" pitting Paterson against the City of Trenton in an effort to get more of the population vaccinated.
Recently, a media outlet ran a story claiming that the adult population of Paterson, NJ is 100% vaccinated. Upon review of the content, this statistic appears to be contrived by counting any adult who has gotten any Covid shot as 'vaccinated.' It's confusing, and maybe even irresponsible, to run this headline during a time where the meaning of this term seems to be elastic. The NJDOH often makes reference to populations as being 'vaccinated,' 'unvaccinated,' 'fully vaccinated,' and the newly coined category of 'up to date on vaccinations' depending on the context and particular message being conveyed.
Simultaneously, both the media and government are diligently reporting statistics which refer to high percentages of the 'unvaccinated' when it comes to cases, hospitalizations and deaths. If a person has gotten one dose of a Covid shot they may or may not be considered 'fully vaccinated' due to the Pfizer and Moderna products requiring an initial two shot series versus the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Logic would follow that if an individual received one dose of a two shot series then they could also be labeled as 'unvaccinated' for CDC, hospital or NJDOH reporting purposes.
Although some may point to the fact that the media claim of 100% adult vaccination in Paterson doesn't discern the level of vaccination and is therefore not untrue, it begs the question: what's the intention behind the reporting in the first place? It appears to prey on the public's tendency toward reading only the headline while still lending support to the official State narrative of high vaccination rates. Regrettably this type of reporting gets plenty of reposts on social media and can easily be spouted off by the unknowing who choose not to read while repeating headlines which continue to serve the administration's policy objectives.
Another instance of hypocrisy turns on the way public comment regarding policy and regulatory activity is either encouraged and praised or stifled and denigrated by way of media involvement. Government agencies often issue press releases and employ social media to get the word out about meetings, listening sessions or public hearings. To be clear - this isn't an argument against the good that arises from discussion and civic engagement during the decision making process around public policy and rules, but these efforts appear disingenuous when they seem selective in nature or even promote the restriction of certain types of speech and participation.
For example, a recent article about the Murphy administration's environmental justice initiatives referenced an undertaking to hear the voices of some New Jerseyans on certain topics which has gone so far as to extend periods for public comment and dictate the manner in which public hearings are held to boost the opportunity for participation. Officials and legislators work together with community organizations and activists to ensure that various stakeholders are heard and included in the process.
Juxtapose this with the way parents have been maligned and even disallowed from speaking at local school board meetings on the subject of mandatory masking policies. While New Jersey school children and toddlers in daycare settings are forced by authorities to wear masks as a condition of attendance - by way of policies which purportedly can endure for an indefinite amount of time at the Governor's discretion - their parents efforts to be heard are chilled. Those who wish to express frustration, concern and dissatisfaction - or simply present information about the harm their children have suffered as a result of these policies - have seen meetings cancelled and their activities and words characterized as domestic terrorism and misinformation.
It appears that when something supports narratives or policy objectives promulgated by NJ Governor Phil Murphy's administration, use of creatively construed "facts" or promotion of public comment and participation is welcome. Conversely, when individuals or interest groups advocate for long established and integral elements of the philosophical and legal underpinnings of American society, these actions are labeled as threats to public safety and democracy.