What Is Neil Cavuto Urging Viewers To Do?
Several months after their widespread availability, COVID-19 vaccines remain a controversial topic. Despite massive media campaigns to promote vaccination efforts across the United States, the majority of Fox News programming is against COVID-19 vaccines. According to an August report from watchdog group Media Matters, "60% of the network's vaccine segments included claims undermining or downplaying vaccinations." Media Matters gathered that Fox News anchors and guests made 840 claims downplaying COVID-19 immunizations and their effectiveness over six weeks.
Some of the most high-profile members of the Fox News team are specifically responsible for the negative portrayal of vaccines on the network. Fox News star Tucker Carlson, for example, claimed that vaccine mandates are a takeover by the U.S. military. "The point of mandatory vaccination is to identify the sincere Christians in the ranks, the free thinkers, the men with high testosterone levels, and anyone else who doesn't love Joe Biden and make them leave immediately," Carlson baselessly claimed on his September 20 show (via the Daily Beast).
However, not every Fox News person is on the exact same page about vaccines. So what is Neil Cavuto, the host of "Your World with Neil Cavuto," urging his viewers to do?
Neil Cavuto says it's not a political issue
Unlike Tucker Carlson, Neil Cavuto urged his viewers to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Despite getting the vaccine, Cavuto got a breakthrough COVID-19 infection. The host of "Your World with Neil Cavuto," went on another Fox News show, "MediaBuzz," to plead with viewers to get the shot. "Life is too short to be an ass. Life is way too short to be ignorant of the promise of something that is helping people worldwide," Cavuto told host Howard Kurtz. "Stop the deaths. Stop the suffering. Please get vaccinated. Please."
According to People, the 63-year-old Cavuto is immunocompromised, battling multiple sclerosis diagnosis since 1997, and had to have a triple bypass in 2016. The Fox News host asked viewers to "take the political speaking points and toss them for now." Cavuto told "Media Buzz" the vaccine kept him from a "far more dire situation." The "Your World with Neil Cavuto," star continued, "I'd like to urge people of all sorts to please get vaccinated."