Name: Gov. Hogan’s Purchase of Korean Covid Tests Looks Like a PR stunt—and Media Fell for It - FAIR
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Gov. Hogan’s Purchase of Korean Covid Tests Looks Like a PR stunt—and Media Fell for It - FAIR

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&nbsp;The New York Times (), among other outlets, presented Hogan’s acquisition of Korean tests as a Trump-defying coup.Despite being the governor of a small state, Larry Hogan secured coronavirus test kits from “,” thanks to “” and “” negotiations. His “” approach provides “.”That was the storyline Hogan wanted, and he got it, in no small part because the Maryland governor offers an irresistible profile for the media: a Republican—yes, a Republican!—who criticizes Trump. Having checked that box, little else mattered.The Hogan-initiated negotiations that led to a South Korean company flying 500,000 coronavirus testing kits to Maryland were glowingly reported on by the New York Times (), NPR () and pretty much everyone else. The past few weeks, it’s been hard to watch TV without seeing Hogan, the chairman of the National Governors Association, holding forth on shows like ABC’s The View (), Comedy Central’s Daily Show () and MSNBC’s Morning Joe ().Hogan’s victory tour for what he dubbed “Operation Enduring Friendship” was set to continue with a live conversation on April 30, branded “” with the Washington Post, a newspaper that generally loves him (FAIR.org,). But that morning, the bottom of the Post’s front page had a damning exposé () on Hogan’s South Korean gambit.The Washington Post () published an exposé that punctured much of the hype surrounding the Korean tests—notably paired, however…The tests Hogan purchased abroad for $9.5 million were “not in short supply in the United States,” and in fact were available “for 20 to 30% less than what Hogan paid,” the Post‘s reported.“If somebody had come to us a few weeks ago and said we need a large order for Maryland, we would have been…capable of taking the order and fulfilling it,” a CEO of a company that makes Covid tests told the Post. “We always love to ship in the United States, because it’s a lot easier to ship domestically than foreign.”Even if Hogan insisted on buying the tests from South Korea—which he may have done for publicity—he still paid 38% more than the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) did that same month for South Korean tests, the Post reported.In addition to wasting a couple million tax dollars on what appears to be more PR stunt than public health measure, Hogan’s claim that the tests were going to be an “” was a vast exaggeration.The US’s testing deficiency isn’t due to a lack of tests, but the ancillaries needed to make them work, which weren’t a part of Hogan’s Korean purchase. “Without things like reagents, [the tests] are sort of like paperweights,” Montgomery County executive Marc Elrich, the Democratic chief of Maryland’s largest county, told the Post.Nearly two weeks after the tests arrived, AFSCME Maryland president Patrick Moran was wondering when they’d help his frontline workers. “We’ve been asking, ‘Where are the tests? Where are the tests?’” the union leader told the Baltimore Sun (). “The governor took a victory lap before finishing the job.”A week later, Maryland nursing homes, which have accounted for , were still looking for the tests. “They don’t exist,” the CEO of an association of Maryland’s long-term facilities told state lawmakers (Washington Post, ).Without the ancillaries, the tests aren’t useful. Even Hogan (Baltimore Sun, ) noted this, but only after proclaiming his “amazing” and “unprecedented” international purchase would “keep people safe all across the state.”…with the Post‘s Robert Costa () interviewing Hogan about his “Leadership During Crisis.”Those pronouncements rang hollow after the Post’s exposé. And now Hogan was set to take part in a Post conversation, awkwardly billed as “Leadership During Crisis.”Fortunately for the governor, he was questioned by national Post reporter , not the local reporters who exposed his suspect deal.After Hogan (unsuccessfully) tried refuting the Post’s reporting, Costa prompted him to create a new and more dramatic story line, one that would provide the governor with another round of media adulation. Turns out, there were sensational aspects of the story that Hogan had left out.As an eager Costa looked on, Hogan recalled how he’d the South Korean plane to Maryland’s BWI airport. “We wanted to make sure that that plane took off from Korea safely, landed here in America safely, and that we guarded that cargo from whoever might interfere,” said Hogan, who dutifully met the plane .Once the wheels touched down, Hogan had “a large contingent” of Maryland National Guard and State Police on hand to secure the tests and whisk them away to “an undisclosed location,” where they remain under guard, Hogan said, claiming the cargo “was like Fort Knox to us.”Wasn’t it true, Costa asked, that Hogan feared the feds would seize the tests?Indeed, “it was a little bit of a concern,” said Hogan, citing examples in other states, like Massachusetts, which may have provided Hogan with his playbook.When Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker’s order for desperately needed masks was intercepted by the feds, the Republican teamed up with New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who used his team plane to fly 1.2 million N95 masks from China to Boston, resulting in glowing media accounts.Following in his friend Baker’s footsteps, Hogan also dramatically welcomed a plane carrying supplies from Asia to his state, then guarded the cargo from the feds.The governor shifted the storyline from “Hogan paid too much for tests” to “Hogan kept Trump from stealing tests” (CNN, ).The media jumped all over the improved story, ignoring the Post’s exposé. Even astute outlets like Democracy Now! () were swept off their feet by Hogan’s anti-Trump pose.It’s possible Hogan really feared the feds, but media reports show them going after invaluable Covid supplies, such as , , , and . Hogan had a planeload of overpriced, domestically available tests of limited immediate utility.Only days after its damning exposé, the Post () pretended its reporting never happened. Hogan was again sharing the limelight with Baker, two Republican leaders who secured vital supplies abroad in defiance of Trump.That’s the storyline Hogan wanted all along.Maryland, meanwhile, is suffering from one of the country’s deadlier , made worse by inadequate testing.&nbsp;FAIR’s work is sustained by our generous contributors, who allow us to remain independent. today to be a part of this important mission.You can also support FAIR on Patreon! Click the button below!It’s possible Hogan really feared the feds, but media reports show them going after invaluable Covid supplies, such as personal protective equipment, N95 masks, ventilators, thermometers and ancillary materials for test kits. Hogan had a planeload of overpriced, domestically available tests of limited immediate utility.—How would Hogen be able to predict what the FEMA/DHS response was going to be WRT to test kits?I’m not sure how you “fall” for something you know to be a sham.That comes across more as collusion in a broad sense, than incompetence born of naiveté.The PMC in this country are every bit as dangerous to our democracy as our criminal politicians are.Needing to factor in the possibility that supplies might be seized by the feds is disgusting. If they are taking the “ancillary supplies” needed for testing, it’s plausible they would take the tests as well.I have my own biases. I don’t need yours. I need facts. This piece is biased. Fox News might well have written this.Peace,People are saying that Trump is taking supplies and diverting them to swing states.WOW, did the white house pay you to write this article.This article makes you look like a petty hater.I read the “fair” article, 5/8/2020 and although they appeared to be complete I did have difficulty deciding which side was presented fairly. The right wingers, the left wingers orehat appeared to me to be in the middle ground …perhaps what many would consider even an iota of truth.Every State Officer and all those within the Maryland National Guard should be held on charges of following an unlawful order! Those in the Guard should face Field Grade Article 15’s and State Police be charged along with Hogan and his counterparts!The initial report was 500,000 tests but our local Frederick paper reported the first shipment was ONLY 5000. I have yet to hear that more were ever even delivered. No reports of any big shipment????Is there going to be a future story exposing what Hogan’s plans are for the overpriced tests that he chose to purchase from his wife’s country (a possible conflict of interest) instead of purchasing them in the United States, and why he has not used them to date?FAIR’s 4-page, ad-free, newsletter publishes ten times a year bringing you the media analysis and activism that you won’t find anywhere else. Choose a print subscription, a digital PDF edition, or both together.FAIR is the national progressive media watchdog group, challenging corporate media bias, spin and misinformation. We work to invigorate the First Amendment by advocating for greater diversity in the press and by scrutinizing media practices that marginalize public interest, minority and dissenting viewpoints. We expose neglected news stories and defend working journalists when they are muzzled. As a progressive group, we believe that structural reform is ultimately needed to break up the dominant media conglomerates, establish independent public broadcasting and promote strong non-profit sources of information.Fairness &amp; Accuracy In Reporting124 W. 30th Street, Suite 201New York, NY 10001Tel: 212-633-6700We rely on your support to keep running. Please consider donating.This work is licensed under a License.

&nbsp;The New York Times (), among other outlets, presented Hogan’s acquisition of Korean tests as a Trump-defying coup.Despite being the governor of a small state, Larry Hogan secured coronavirus test kits from “,” thanks to “” and “” negotiations. His “” approach provides “.”That was the storyline Hogan wanted, and he got it, in no small part because the Maryland governor offers an irresistible profile for the media: a Republican—yes, a Republican!—who criticizes Trump. Having checked that box, little else mattered.The Hogan-initiated negotiations that led to a South Korean company flying...

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Pete Tucker

Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting, holding corporate media accountable for distortions & omissions since 1986. http://mastodon.world/@FAIR

Gov. Hogan’s Purchase of Korean Covid Tests Looks Like a PR stunt—and Media Fell for It - FAIR

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