The press had long dismissed the lab leak theory, so reporters, pundits and media outlets alike were scolded and lampooned after the U.S. Energy Department reportedly assessed that the COVID-19 pandemic likely originated from an accidental lab leak in China.
The Energy Department, which was previously undecided on the origin of the pandemic, joined the FBI’s stance that the coronavirus likely spread due to a mishap at a Chinese laboratory, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday, citing a classified intelligence report recently provided to the White House and key members of Congress. The report reminded Americans that the corporate media had long insisted the lab leak theory, or the theory that the virus came from a lab leak at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan, China, was some sort of conspiracy or "misinformation."
FOX News Radio host Guy Benson appeared on "The Big Sunday Show" to say the value of truth in America is being "undermined" and he hopes there is introspection on the heels of the report.
"Over and over again, we hear from the narrative protectors, the establishment in this country, the media and others, the ‘experts,’ that things are misinformation or conspiracy theories, and don’t get me wrong, those things exist… and can poison the discourse," Benson said.
ANOTHER US AGENCY ASSESSES COVID-19 ORIGIN LIKELY A CHINESE 'LAB LEAK': REPORT
"But what also poisons the discourse is when you take things that you disagree with, and you label them misinformation or conspiracy theories and then they turn out to be true," Benson continued. "Then people aren’t going to listen to you when you actually cry wolf for real… we see it in other areas, too, like the Hunter Biden laptop."
Joe Concha also blasted previous criticism of the lab leak theory Monday on "FOX & Friends First."
"It was immediately dismissed as a crazy conspiracy theory, and any talk of even entertaining this idea had to be shut down, right? We had to believe the Chinese Communist Government instead," Concha said. "This is what they do in North Korea."
New York Post reporter Jon Levine responded to an MSNBC host who blamed the theory being dismissed because it was "conflated by the right" during the Trump administration.
"Multiple major liberal media figures are now publicly admitting their side couldn’t fathom a real discussion about lab leak theory because of Trump," Levine tweeted. "In 5 years these people will look you in the eye with a straight face and say there was never any effort to shut down speculation about the covid lab leak theory and that people only think that because of right wing misinformation."
CHINA RESPONDS TO US REPORT ENDORSING LAB LEAK THEORY, ACCUSES US OF ‘SMEARING CHINA’
"The intelligence reporting has led to another media ‘my bad’ moment where news outlets are shrugging that the theory may not be a conspiracy or racist theory after all," Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley tweeted.
"Latest example of why ‘just ban misinformation’ isn’t so easy. Who gets to decide what is misinformation? What happens when new facts come to light? Ditto mask effectiveness, ditto natural immunity. All things labeled obvious misinfo; all now revisited," ABC News reporter Sarah Isgur wrote.
"I still can't believe the mainstream media convinced everyone for a while that the lab leak theory was the racist theory," Reason's Robby Soave wrote. "Wet market indicts specific Chinese cultural practices; lab leak indicts Chinese government and *also* U.S. funding priorities! It's the inclusive theory!"
National Mouth editor Tim Young asked, "How many more times will the ‘conspiracy theorists’ end up being right?"
Many others have taken to Twitter with thoughts the latest "misinformation" that turned out to be true:
LANCET CALLS FOR ‘OBJECTIVE, OPEN AND TRANSPARENT’ DEBATE OVER COVID-19 ORIGINS
China accused the U.S. of attempting to smear the country and denied the U.S. Department of Energy report.
In a statement to Fox News Digital on Sunday, a spokesperson for the Energy Department said, "The Department of Energy continues to support the thorough, careful, and objective work of our intelligence professionals in investigating the origins of COVID-19, as the President directed.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan was asked about the Journal’s report during an appearance on CNN Sunday: "There is a variety of views in the intelligence community. Some elements in the intelligence community have reached conclusions on one side, some on the other. A number of them have said they just don’t have enough information to be sure," he said.
Republicans are likely to renew focus on COVID-19's origins now that they control the House of Representatives and the committees that come with it.
Fox News’ Jessica Chasmar, Danielle Wallace and Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
