Grant Wahl, American journalist, died during the Qatar 2022 World Cup, since his death many rumors swirled about the reason for his death, his wife, Dr. Cline Gounder, asked to stop speculating about the death of her partner.
Many rumors ran on social networks when Wahl’s death was known, many said that he had been killed because days before he criticized Qatar’s laws on homosexuality, in addition to the fact that in one of his coverage he wore a bracelet with the colors of gay pride.
The same journalist’s brother uploaded a video to social networks where he assured that his brother had been killed, as his death was very suspicious.
Dr. Cline Gounder asks to stop rumors about her husband’s death
Dr. Cline Gounder fought against the COVID-19 pandemic and was one of the driving forces behind vaccination. In 2017, she was named by People magazine as one of the 25 women who changed the world that year.
Since her husband’s death, the doctor has received death threats and criticism for having been in favor of inoculation against coronavirus. Many people wrote to her that she was to blame for Wahl’s death, as the vaccine had caused him to lose his life.
Gounder could not stand it any longer and wrote a blog in the New York Times calling for the attacks on her and her husband’s death to stop.
« I didn’t respond to disinformation or harassment on Substack or on social media, » Gounder wrote. « I didn’t reply to the email that read: ‘Now you understand that you killed your poor husband. Karma is a b—-.‘ I’ve received these kinds of messages before, including rape and death threats, over the course of the pandemic, but receiving them about Grant was vile, especially as waves of anguish threatened to consume me. »
« But when these disinformation opportunists recently used the same playbook to blame Damar Hamlin’s in-game cardiac arrest on Covid vaccines, the dam broke, » she continued. « I knew I had to write this essay. »
« As soon as the news became public, rumors and disinformation began to spread, » she wrote. « Amid seemingly inexplicable tragedy, there’s an understandable reflex to grasp onto narratives that could explain how something so shocking could occur. Even those of us who love Grant did so in our grief. But soon strangers began blaming Grant’s death on Covid-19 vaccines, a playbook I know all too well and a move I refuse to let stand. »
« Grant will be remembered for his kindness, openness and generosity, » she closed the essay. « His legacy is his commitment to seeking truth through reporting, supporting human rights and fighting for equality. »
« I will continue to honor Grant by living by our shared values. I’m channeling my grief into something productive: protecting the public’s health against those who would profit from the suffering of others. »
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