Tragedy-Exploiting Propagandistic Media at it’s Worst – learn here how they do it:

Update: The propaganda piece has now been published (on Sat morning 26th Sept) – see end of this post

Thursday 23rd Sept: I got an interesting email from a Belfast Telegraph reporter this morning. Apparently they want to do a piece on the recent sad passing of Northern Ireland councilor Paul Hamill. Relatively young people passing is always a tragic event; that’s why I have spent 10 years driving heart attack prevention. My sincere sympathies to his family. But truth in science must be maintained in the face of any or all tragedies. The reporter seeks to conflate many issues with this piece – that is clear as day. So here is the email I received, and the ensuing correspondance (note that I had no time for comprehensive data summary – just grabbed Euromomo and referred from memory to ROI government data) UPDATED PDF version can be downloaded here: Email from Belfast Telegraph reporter 3

Firstly, a slice of reality from Norway:  https://www.theepochtimes.com/mkt_morningbrief/norway-official-covid-19-can-now-be-compared-to-the-flu-as-country-removes-pandemic-restrictions_4014597.html

Note: link to read the article is at the end of this post – read it an weep for the death of honesty and integrity in journalism

Sam McBride <__________@belfasttelegraph.co.uk>  7:51 AM (2 hours ago)

Dear Mr Cummins,

I am a journalist from the Belfast Telegraph and am writing an article about the death from covid of Paul Hamill, a DUP politician who was heavily influenced by your commentary and who refused to be vaccinated.

There are several questions which I would like you to answer:

1) Do you feel any responsibility for the death of a man who avidly followed your claims, who then refused to be vaccinated, and who is now dead from a virus whose mortality rate in Northern Ireland you dismissed as a “nothing-burger”, leaving a widow and two fatherless young children?

2) How much money do you make from Patreon and other sources connected to your claims about the pandemic?

3) Why has your film The Covid Chronicles for which you raised almost £300,000 still not been released, despite those who paid for it being told that it had an estimated delivery date of March?

My deadline for this article is 11am tomorrow (Friday, 24 September).

Thanks,

Sam

My reply:

Good morning _________

All deaths are tragic – that’s why I have worked tirelessly in chronic disease prevention for almost ten years now, with a primary focus on heart attack prevention (the world’s biggest killer, accounting for the largest slice of premature deaths and life years lost. It along with cancer and other environmental diseases of modernity cause orders of magnitude more life years lost than Covid19, a disease mainly of the aged frail.) I have spoken at conferences all over the world on heart disease & diabetes prevention, including at the British Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation (BACPR) and The National Institute for Preventive Cardiology (NIPR). What have you done for population health, eh? I thought as much – so the crass virtue signaling is absurd yet again.

Firstly, I note from the Irish Times that Paul sadly passed away “with a positive PCR test” – and I quote:

“A 46-year-old DUP councillor has been hailed as “one of the genuinely nice guys in local politics” after he died in hospital on Tuesday. It is understood he had tested positive for Covid-19.” (importantly, note that you can not “test positive for Covid19” – you can however test positive for elements of the SARS Cov(2) virus being present in your nasal cavity; so even while being very careful, the Irish Times is yet again inaccurate).

In short I’d strongly suggest that you get the exact medical cause(s) of Mr. Hamill’s death before going to print. It may indeed have been “from Covid” (albeit highly, highly unlikely), and not just associated “with a positive PCR test”. But being a reporter, the actual facts should be ascertained before potentially misleading readers. Note that Northern Ireland has shown effectively no excess mortality during the whole course of the epidemic from March 2020 to the present day (ref:  https://www.euromomo.eu/graphs-and-maps)

From the above, the de facto risk of truly dying very prematurely from Covid19 in Northern Ireland has been effectively near-zero. Based on the Euromomo mortality database no less. For a genuinely healthy man of 46, the risk would be essentially infinitesimal. For reference, the Republic of Ireland actually DID have an excess mortality signal during this epidemic (albeit the overall deaths were quite similar to 2018 levels) – and yet the PCR-based risk to the total age cohort below 50 was in the region of 1 in 50,000. Note that even this risk level would be dominated by people with medical conditions – so the risk for healthy people would be far lower. We are talking risk levels that normally no one would take any notice of – for better or for worse. Think about that.

Note also that a person dying in a plane crash does not change the fact that the risk of same is 1 in X million. It doesn’t change that fact at all. The data is the data – always. Not the spin.

To your questions:

1)  Sharing the actual science, data, risk quotients and logic of any issue would never cause one to “feel responsibility” for an individual’s personal situation. If it did, we would live in an illogical and irrational world.

2)  I am the single earner in my family, and I have 5 kids. Sharing actual science, data, risk quotients and logic luckily allows me to support them – while helping people understand scientific and mathematical reality at the same time. Your use of the word “claims” is misplaced – please challenge my data, with specifics – let’s focus on the data. You can quote me on this challenge.

3)  The Kickstarter collected £145,338 – just checked. Primary extension to the timeline was due to following the evolving situation, gathering much more interview material from South African and other government experts – as well as hiring a professional CGI special effects company to produce cutting-edge dynamic graphics (latter required to best explain the actual science, data, risk quotients and logic).

Please do revert with any further questions, or clarifications on the risk quotients specifically – I will publish your email (name redacted) and my reply shortly, in the interests of truth and transparency. As a courtesy I will of course email you a link to the associated blog post. Perhaps you could include the link in your piece – in the interests of transparency and openness – good idea, n’est pas?

Yours etc.

Ivor Cummins

1:10pm Journo Sam reply:

On Thu, Sep 23, 2021 at 1:10 PM Sam McBride <_______@belfasttelegraph.co.uk> wrote:
Dear Mr Cummins,

Many thanks for your prompt response.

I have three further questions:

1) You have not clarified how much money you make from Patreon and other sources connected to your claims about the pandemic. Can you do so?

2) Last August you said that “the epidemic [is] long since gone”. A few weeks earlier you said that “only the largely immune at this stage remain, across most of Europe”. Do you accept that neither of those statements were accurate?

3) Your IndieGoGo page states that £151,358 has been raised through that platform and £145,338 “with another platform” (Kickstarter). Does that mean that the total sum raised is £296,696? If not, please clarify the total sum raised.

Thanks,

1:45pm My Somewhat Rapid Response:

Quick response from top of my head Sam:

1) You have not clarified how much money you make from Patreon and other sources connected to your claims about the pandemic. Can you do so?

You are asking me for details of my breadwinner’s income for my family, my personal, private business? You are seriously asking this? You think because you don’t like my analyses, it gives you the right to pry into my details?

2) Last August you said that “the epidemic [is] long since gone”. A few weeks earlier you said that “only the largely immune at this stage remain, across most of Europe”. Do you accept that neither of those statements were accurate?

The only thing myself and my scientific network were somewhat off on was the estimate of achieved immunity. We were way more correct across all scientific vectors in this, when compared to the utter nonsense pouring forth from the “experts” and the media. And in terms of Western Europe epidemic being over, don’t conflate it with endemic seasonal resurgence. Take note that the first wave in hard-hit England had by far the biggest impact (epidemic phase, new virus). The 2021 (endemic) resurgence largely caused no major excess mortality, just pulled forward aged/frail deaths mainly by a matter of weeks or months (as winter flus often do). Don’t believe me however – believe the Actuarial Society – see here:  https://twitter.com/FatEmperor/status/1395730122817347590?s=20 (note that black line for 2021 is cumulative mortality – when it meets the others, that means there was no excess mortality by May 2021 point)

The tail end of 2020 had some excess yes, in the early part of the endemic seasonal resurgence, not too unexpected given that the community immunity level was an estimate – but nothing like the early 2020 epidemic phase where immunity started off low. In short, more like flu season dynamics. AND the data is confounded from other factors introduced in late 2020.

AND note that across WHOLE of Europe, 2021 excess mortality was not significantly different than the numbers for 2017 or 2018 – and note also that we’re talking cumulative all-cause mortality – the only metric one can use for this kind of issue – so in essence what we had predicted (i.e. endemic status achieved through wide-scale community immunity): https://twitter.com/FatEmperor/status/1414173676312973313?s=20 

If you want to question me on data, let’s do an article together – and discuss the DATA comprehensively (it would make a change from the incessant nonsense spin-mongering in the media).

Note also that I am only showing the tip of the data iceberg in the last couple of sentences here – I could give you a thousand examples of how you are misled and incorrect on the kernel of this issue.

3) Your IndieGoGo page states that £151,358 has been raised through that platform and £145,338 “with another platform” (Kickstarter). Does that mean that the total sum raised is £296,696? If not, please clarify the total sum raised.

The producer/filmmaker Donal O’Neill mainly tracks the financing and there are a lot of bills to cover (he was an accountant and I trust him implicitly as a friend – I’m too busy for working that end). Yes actually he did set up an IndieGoGo after the Kickstarter closed I recall, which gathers any supplemental supporters – the total from both platforms combined is £151,358, unless he is as fraudulent as the mass media. The IndieGoGo simply acknowledges the portion of the £151,358 which came from Kickstarter.

Movie update btw https://twitter.com/FatEmperor/status/1428659186162970627?s=20

Yours etc.

Ivor

2:15pm My additional reply following a suggestion from a colleague:

Just in from a legally connected pal:

9 pm Journo Sam Response following my mention of defamation – clearly gunning for my income, that’s the motivation:

I am used to receiving legal threats in relation to awkward questions. However, I believe this is the first time that I have been threatened with defamation proceedings in relation to material which you have published yourself.

My questions relate to a matter of profound public interest and I can reassure you that as a responsible newspaper we will fully consider your comments.

1) To that end, for the third time I am asking you to clarify your income from Patreon. You have responded indignantly to this question and if you do not wish to answer it, that is your prerogative. However, I will try one final time. There are 1,627 people paying you through the Patreon website which facilitates monthly payments ranging from £3 to £232. Based on my calculations, that means that if all of those individuals were paying the smallest amount, they are contributing just over £58,572 a year and if everyone was paying the highest amount they are contributing more than £4.5 million a year.

2) Do you accept that you have a financial motive to earn as much as you can from this enterprise which is in effect now your business?

3) I’m struck by what to me seems to be the coldness of your response to my question about Paul Hamill’s death. Paul loved your videos; he promoted you avidly, he believed what you were saying and he made what he thought were logical choices which flowed from the information which he had consumed. Is there anything in this tragedy which causes you to reconsider whether you may in fact be dangerously wrong?

10am My likely final reply before deadline 11am Friday morn – with my quotes on the record):