The grocery store tabloid National Enquirer published an article claiming the Ohio-based Dr. Keith Armitage recommended elderberry syrup or tea for fighting coronavirus. But Armitage told progressive media watchdog Media Matters that he “never spoke” with the National Enquirer and “would never say” such claims. In response, the Enquirer said it would correct.
The Enquirer‘s article included a picture of Armitage. The article was headlined, “Coronavirus cures at your fingertips” and said “top doctors have told the National Enquirer that the deadly plague can be stopped in its tracks with the natural cures found right in your kitchen or at your local pharmacy.”
The article, uploaded by Media Matters, said, “Researchers also believe elderberry syrup or tea is effective in battling the deadly virus because it’s known for fending off flu-like symptoms and boosting the immune system, according to Dr. Keith Armitage, medical director for the UH Roe Green Center for Travel Medicine and Global Health in Cleveland, Ohio.”
Armitage told iMediaEthics by e-mail the Enquirer contacted him after the fact. “They apologized and said they would do a retraction,” he wrote.
iMediaEthics has written to the National Enquirer to ask what went wrong. We received a statement reading “The National Enquirer has contacted Dr. Armitage to correct the inaccuracy.”
UPDATED: 1:24 PM EST