Episode 1864: Alex Berenson | The Brogan Report

Introduction

Episode 1864 features Alex Berenson, a former New York Times reporter turned COVID-19 contrarian who has become one of the pandemic’s most prominent sources of vaccine misinformation. Despite having no medical or scientific training, Berenson has used his platform to spread dangerous falsehoods about COVID-19 vaccines, leading to his suspension from Twitter in August 2021 for “repeated violations of its policy on COVID-19 misinformation.” This episode, airing just days before his Twitter account was reinstated following a lawsuit, provided Berenson another large platform to promote his book “Pandemia: How Coronavirus Hysteria Took Over Our Government, Rights, and Lives” and continue spreading vaccine skepticism.

Background on Alex Berenson

Alex Berenson graduated from Yale University in 1994 with bachelor’s degrees in history and economics. He worked as a reporter for The New York Times and has authored several thriller novels. However, Berenson has no scientific or medical training, which makes his authoritative pronouncements on vaccine safety and efficacy particularly problematic.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Berenson became a frequent guest on right-wing media outlets, positioning himself as a contrarian voice questioning public health measures and vaccine efficacy. The Atlantic magazine dubbed him “The Pandemic’s Wrongest Man” for his consistent pattern of misinterpreting data and making false claims about the virus and vaccines.

Pattern of Misinformation

Twitter Suspension

On August 28, 2021, Twitter permanently suspended Berenson’s account for “repeated violations of its policy on COVID-19 misinformation.” The suspension came after Berenson tweeted that the mRNA COVID vaccines “need to be withdrawn from the market. No one should get them.” His account was later reinstated in summer 2022 after he filed a lawsuit, just weeks before this episode aired.

Documented False Claims

Multiple fact-checking organizations have debunked Berenson’s claims:

Vaccine Adverse Effects: Berenson claimed COVID-19 vaccines had “50 times more adverse effects than flu vaccine.” PolitiFact rated this claim “Mostly False”, explaining that he misrepresented VAERS data, which collects unverified reports and doesn’t establish causation.
Misrepresenting UK Data: In this episode and earlier appearances, Berenson repeatedly misused Public Health England data. He claimed that people over 40 were more likely to catch COVID-19 if vaccinated, ignoring crucial footnotes warning that the data “should be interpreted with extra caution.” Full Fact thoroughly debunked this claim, explaining that Berenson failed to account for the much larger vaccinated population, especially among vulnerable groups. When he claimed “over 70% of COVID-19 deaths in England were fully vaccinated,” he omitted the critical context that this reflected the larger size of the vaccinated population among the elderly.
Death Rate Misrepresentation: PolitiFact found that Berenson misrepresented data on death rates by vaccination status in England, with the office that issued the data stating “the numbers don’t support Berenson’s claim.”
German Cancer Study: Berenson misrepresented a German study to claim COVID-19 vaccines caused cancer. Science Feedback documented how one of the study’s senior authors stated that “There is no link between COVID-19 vaccines and cancer” and called Berenson’s claims “false information and dangerous misinterpretations of our research data.”

The Problem with Platforming Berenson

By August 2022 when this episode aired, Berenson had established a clear pattern:

No relevant expertise: A former business reporter and novelist with no medical or scientific training
Repeated fact-check failures: Multiple major fact-checking organizations had debunked his claims
Platform consequences: Suspended from Twitter for COVID-19 misinformation
Expert rejection: Public health experts consistently rejected his interpretations
Data misrepresentation: Established pattern of misreading or misrepresenting scientific data

This episode gave Berenson a platform to promote his book and continue spreading vaccine skepticism to millions of listeners, despite his documented track record of misinformation.

Real-World Harm

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, fueled by misinformation from figures like Berenson, has had measurable consequences:

Studies have shown that unvaccinated individuals were significantly more likely to be hospitalized and die from COVID-19
The Kaiser Family Foundation estimated that over 230,000 preventable deaths occurred among unvaccinated adults from June 2021 to March 2022
Vaccine misinformation has contributed to ongoing public health challenges and lower vaccination rates in certain communities

When someone with no medical expertise misrepresents data to millions of listeners, the consequences extend beyond abstract debates about scientific accuracy.

Conclusion

Episode 1864 exemplifies a recurring problem on The Joe Rogan Experience: providing a massive platform to individuals who spread medical misinformation despite lacking relevant expertise. Alex Berenson is not a rogue scientist with controversial findings—he’s a former business reporter and novelist who has been repeatedly fact-checked and corrected by experts, suspended from social media for misinformation, and dubbed “the pandemic’s wrongest man” by a major publication.

When evaluating whether someone should have a platform to discuss complex medical topics, their track record matters. Berenson’s track record on COVID-19 is one of consistent misrepresentation, misinterpretation, and rejection by public health experts. This episode, airing just as his Twitter suspension was being lifted, gave him another opportunity to spread vaccine skepticism to millions of listeners.