In The Media

  • NPR: “ 'Lab Leak,' a flashy page on the virus' origins, replaces government COVID sites” (4/18/25)

    AJI science adviser Angela Rasmussen was quoted in this NPR piece about the White House’s new COVID-19 lab leak page, which replaced its information page on COVID.gov.

  • ZME Science: Jay Bhattacharya has a history of misinformation. He’s about to head the NIH (3/15/25)

    The popular science website ZME Science cited Important Context’s reporting on Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, Donald Trump’s pick to lead the National Institutes of Health. The report they highlighted was our piece documenting how the health economist had suggested vaccines might cause autism and endorsed alternate vaccine schedules during a September 2024 podcast appearance.

  • The New York Times: In Hearing, Trump’s N.I.H. Nominee Says No Link Between Autism and Vaccines (3/5/25)

    In its coverage of the Senate confirmation hearing for Donald Trump’s NIH pick, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, The New York Times cited AJI’s investigative newsletter, Important Context. The Times linked out to a story we published about Bhattacharya on February 2, 2025, that he had suggested vaccines might be linked to autism during a podcast appearance. The paragraph we were cited in has since been stealth edited out.

  • STAT News: ‘Wrong,’ ‘misleading,’ and ‘reasonable’: How Jay Bhattacharya became, for some, the least bad option to run NIH (3/4/25)

    In its report about Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, Donald Trump’s pick to lead the National Institutes of Health, STAT News cited reporting by AJI co-founder Walker Bragman in AJI’s investigative newsletter, Important Context.

  • MedPage Today: Trump’s NIH Pick Co-Founded New Journal (2/11/25)

    MedPage Today cited AJI’s investigative newsletter, Important Context, in its story about the RealClear Foundation’s new Academy of Public Health and attached medical journal. The story noted the dark money behind the project, which was a focus of our original story. We had reported on all the major right-wing backers of the RealClear Foundation.

  • Zeteo: How to Prevent a Bird Flu Pandemic (2/6/25)

    Virologist and AJI science advisor Angela Rasmussen offered her critical insights into the emerging bird flu situation in the U.S. in this editorial for Zeteo. As cases rise across the country, Rasmussen explains how precarious the current moment is and offers her recommended steps to prevent the emergence of another pandemic.

  • Mother Jones: A Raw Milk Magnate Has Spent Years Fighting Public Health Agencies. Will RFK Jr. Take His Side? (1/28/25)

    Virologist and AJI science advisor Angela Rasmussen debunks raw milk pseudoscience in Mother Jones’ latest deep dive into the industry’s growing influence—and the dangers it poses. With RFK Jr.’s nomination to lead HHS, raw milk advocate Mark McAfee is closer than ever to shaping national food safety policy. But as Rasmussen warns, no matter how clean a dairy operation claims to be, unpasteurized milk will always carry risks—including the spread of bird flu and other pathogens. With Trump-era deregulation on the horizon, will public health take a backseat to pseudoscience?

  • Common Dreams: The Most Dangerous Trump Pick? Jay Bhattacharya (1/23/25)

    Reporting from AJI co-founders Alex Kotch and Walker Bragman was cited by Common Dreams in a piece about Trump’s NIH pick, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya.

  • McGill University: Bhattacharya To Decide the Fate of Medical Research (11/29/24)

    AJI co-founder Walker Bragman was cited in a piece about Trump’s NIH nominee Dr. Jay Bhattacharya published by McGill University’s Office for Science and Society.

  • TruthOut: Trump Picks “Herd Immunity” Proponent Jay Bhattacharya to Lead NIH (11/27/24)

    TruthOut cited AJI co-founder Walker Bragman in its story about Donald Trump’s pick to lead the NIH, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya.

  • Mother Jones: He Rose to Fame as a Covid Contrarian, and Trump Wants Him to Be NIH Head (11/26/24)

    Mother Jones cited reporting by AJI co-founder Walker Bragman in AJI’s investigative newsletter, Important Context, in a story about Donald Trump’s pick to lead the National Institutes of Health.

  • The Nation: Why Covid Keeps Winning (7/29/24)

    AJI co-founder Walker Bragman penned this opinion piece with Yale epidemiologist Gregg Gonsalves for The Nation. It details why the U.S. has continued to suffer wave after wave of COVID-19.

  • Mother Jones: Far-Right Influencers Defended an Accused Fraudster. They Had Help.(7/6/23)

    Mother Jones cited AJI co-founder Walker Bragman’s reporting in AJI’s investigative newsletter Important Context for its investigation into the secretive influence network of Trump-supporting Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui.

  • Current Affairs: How Ron DeSantis Turned Covid Denialism Into a Major Political Weapon (7/6/23)

    AJI co-founder Walker Bragman penned an article for Current Affairs about an apparent strategy by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to capitalize on COVID-19 skepticism and denialism.