However, Governor Noem has the truth on her side, as related by the Gov’s Senior Advisor Maggie Seidel, who dropped a truth-bomb on the problematic reporting via e-mail to the state’s media:
For those of you who get questions about the agitprop the New York Times put out this morning about Governor Noem, I thought you’d like to have the actual facts in hand.
The Times asserts that Governor Noem is “a uniquely dangerous kind of politician, one who’s reckless but sounds rational, smart but intellectually dishonest and is willing to endanger South Dakotans just to get a few political points.”
Not quite the “tender embrace” we had hoped for, but there’s still time…
I’m going to skip the point-by-point rebuttal, and instead highlight a couple of the most absurd issues with the piece.
The opening CNN clip stating, “More people are testing positive than negative” in South Dakota, is not true. At no point during the pandemic was it true. Anybody following the data put out by the South Dakota Department of Health knows that this claim is 100% false.
The claim that China stopped the spread of the virus is laughable. How did the virus – which originated in China – spread to every across the globe
Why did the Times make no mention of South Dakota’s outstanding deployment of the vaccine. Governor Noem is the “Vaccine Queen,” according to the Wall Street Journal. Of course, this is a testament to the people of South Dakota, the outstanding team at the Department of Health, and our health care providers across the state.
Given the Times’ attempt to rewrite history here, it’s probably time to revisit the facts we sent out when these hit pieces originally ran back in November.
Using a 7-day rolling average is ridiculous. The virus moved across the globe in waves. The better statistic would be to layer each of the waves on top of each other and compare data points. When you do that, you get a very different picture.
As I pointed out back in November, the entire United States hadn’t broken the top 10 list for deaths (per 100,000) globally.
The death rate (per 100,000) on November 16th:
- New Jersey – 187
- New York – 175
- Massachusetts – 150
- Connecticut – 133
- Louisiana – 132
North Dakota was 8th on the list at 97.
South Dakota was 17th on the list at 73 – lower than the overall US death rate per 100,000.
Also at the time, the world was seeing a rise in cases. The Midwest – not only North and South Dakota, but also Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and many others – saw cases rise. Then, and still today, there is zero science – yes, zero – to support the claim that South Dakota saw a rise in cases because Governor Noem wouldn’t issue a mask mandate or other harsh restrictions.
We shared:
Illinois health officials reported 10,631 new cases, and 72 deaths on Sunday. Illinois has had a mask mandate for everyone over the age of 2 since May 1.
Minnesota health officials reported a record 8,703 new cases and 35 new deaths on Saturday. Minnesota’s mask mandate has been in place since July 25.
Wisconsin health officials reported more than 5,100 new cases and 52 more deaths on Saturday. Wisconsin’s mask mandate has been in place since August 1.
Today, if we look exclusively at death rate, South Dakota still fares better than the Times’ beloved lockdown states:
The death rate (per 100,000) as of January 27, 2021:
- New Jersey – 238
- New York – 220
- Massachusetts – 206
- Rhode Island – 201
- Mississippi – 197
South Dakota is 7th on the list at 193.
North Dakota is 8th on the list at 189.
But the story runs deeper than that. Because the author moves back and forth between case and death-rate data as if they’re interchangeable – a frequent and deliberately misleading tactic of those agitating for more intrusive government mandates. The viewer is left with the impression that South Dakota is somehow unique when it comes to Covid deaths. That’s totally false.
The Times also failed to note that our cases in the fall/winter came down as fast or faster than states under severe lockdowns, like Illinois..
The sad news is that this piece recycles the same stale narrative the mainstream media has attacked Governor Noem with for months. This piece is irresponsible, intellectually dishonest, and the latest example of purposeful media manipulation.
Curious, should we hold our breath for the Times to do a similar piece on Andrew Cuomo?
Stay well.
-Maggie
Maggie Seidel
Senior Advisor & Policy Director
Office of Governor Kristi Noem