CNN contributor blasts network over ivermectin coverage

By: Jon L.

CNN contributor Mary Katharine Ham sided with Joe Rogan over her own network, saying on Twitter that it was wrong to characterize the drug ivermectin he was taking as “horse dewormer.”

Rogan took the drug after being diagnosed with coronavirus in September – and said it was prescribed by his doctor. It has not been shown to be effective at fighting coronavirus and its use by the general public has been controversial.

“Rogan is right that it’s dishonest to say he took horse dewormer when he did not,” she said Friday. “It was irresistible to dunk on him for a lot of people, so they went with that instead of sticking to, ‘Hey, this anti-parasitic isn’t recommended for COVID treatment,’ which would’ve been credible.”

The drug has been in medical use for humans for decades and its creators won the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for its discovery. A version of ivermectin specifically for horses is also available.

In a withering interview with CNN’s chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta on Wednesday, Rogan took the network to task for their coverage of him.

“Does it bother you that the news network you work for outright lied about me taking horse dewormer?” Rogan said.

“They shouldn’t have said that,” Gupta conceded.

“Why’d they do that?” said Rogan.

“I don’t know,” said Gupta.