This is an exclusive cross-interview recorded on May 5, 2021, featuring Geoff Brumfiel, the NPR reporter who wrote the recent somewhat denigrating piece about me.
Brumfiel and I agreed to ask a number of questions of one another, to be recorded and shared with the public in order to provide the full context of the written piece. Below is a detailed description of the context that led to this conversation.
The recent move to defund NPR and PBS is not just a budgetary decision—it is a long-overdue reckoning with the role of publicly funded media in perpetuating narratives that serve corporate and political interests over public welfare and democratic discourse.
Public broadcasting was once envisioned as a guardian of civic truth, a check on power, and a sanctuary from corporate influence. But over time, it has morphed into something far more compromised. Take NPR’s “health news” section, ironically called SHOTS, which symbolically—and editorially—aligns itself with vaccine promotion. The metaphor says it all. When the guardians of public discourse adopt the language of pharmaceutical branding, we must question whose interests they truly serve.
Weaponized Journalism: My 2021 Interview with NPR
This isn’t just theoretical. I had a direct, revealing encounter with NPR’s embedded bias in May of 2021, when Geoff Brumfiel, one of their senior correspondents, reached out to feature me in a piece titled: “For Some Anti-Vaccine Advocates, Misinformation Is Part Of A Business.” The article was a thinly veiled attempt at character assassination—an example of media functioning not as a seeker of truth, but as a weapon of narrative warfare.
Rather than ignore or stonewall, I made an unusual decision: I invited Brumfiel into a cross-interview, recorded and published in full transparency above. This format allowed both of us to pose questions to each other, and for the public to witness the full, unedited context. The result was deeply revealing—not just of NPR's approach, but of the larger media machinery it represents.
This candid exchange exposed not only the editorial bias and conflicts of interest at NPR, but also the broader ideological machinery backing the so-called “Disinformation Dozen” narrative, propagated by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH)—an organization that, ironically, engages in exactly what its name suggests it opposes: digital censorship, hate, and targeted takedowns.
The False Framing of “Anti-Vax” and “Misinformation”
The terms “anti-vaccine” and “misinformation” are wielded like verbal bludgeons—designed to shut down debate and demonize dissent. But the reality is far more nuanced. At GreenMedInfo.com, we curate and publish peer-reviewed research, offering the public access to scientific literature often ignored by mainstream outlets. This is not “misinformation”—it is scientific transparency.
Yet NPR painted me as a profiteer, part of an "anti-vax industry." They ignored the fact that GreenMedInfo is ad-free and freely accessible, and that Stand for Health Freedom, which I co-founded, is a nonprofit platform defending bodily sovereignty and informed consent.
I challenged NPR and Brumfiel to investigate their own funding relationships—particularly with PhRMA and the Gates Foundation, both of which have donated millions to support pro-vaccine messaging through NPR. When media entities are underwritten by the very industries they’re reporting on, how can the public trust what they hear?
Corporate Sponsorship & Narrative Control
In fact, NPR’s own sponsorships—such as their integration of PhRMA’s “Brand Soundscapes” into NPR’s app—demonstrate just how blurred the line between journalism and marketing has become. And while Brumfiel insisted editorial decisions are independent, the systemic nature of these relationships is hard to ignore. As I pointed out during our dialogue, when NPR receives tens of millions in funding from groups that directly benefit from mass vaccination campaigns, their reporting on those topics cannot be assumed neutral.
The larger story here isn’t about me. It’s about how public media institutions, originally designed to be accountable to the people, have become extensions of corporate and governmental power. The defunding of NPR and PBS, while complex and controversial, is also a symbolic moment—a mirror held up to the media class that has long abandoned its role as watchdog in favor of becoming a megaphone for institutional authority.
The Lesson & The Call to Action
Rather than lamenting this defunding, let’s use it as a chance to reclaim the spirit of independent journalism and public discourse. Let’s demand transparency—not just from those accused of spreading “misinformation,” but from the media organizations doing the accusing.
💡 I invite you to explore our in-depth breakdown of NPR's flawed coverage, including additional context and resources here:
👉 NPR's Flawed Reporting on Vaccine Misinformation: A Call for Accountability and Retraction
And for those seeking a deeper understanding of the orchestrated smear campaigns targeting health freedom advocates, I also recommend the following resources:
“CCDH: The Centre for Cancel Culture and Digital Hypocrisy – Part 1 & 2”
Apple Podcast: “The Anti-Vaxxer Disinformation Dozen” featuring CCDH CEO Imran Ahmed
Let’s transcend these smear tactics and censorship attempts. Let’s build a media ecosystem that is pro-freedom, pro-truth, and pro-human.
With gratitude and resolve,
Sayer Ji
Founder, GreenMedInfo.com
Co-founder, Stand for Health Freedom
Chairman, Global Wellness Forum
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