| When the rapper Nicki Minaj on Tuesday tweeted that she'd heard her cousin's friend was suffering some unsavory fertility-related side effects from the coronavirus vaccine, the Internet set out to find the guy. Meanwhile, health authorities were setting out to stamp out the rumor Minaj had just started. In a sharp op-ed, physicians Oni Blackstock and Uché Blackstock explain why Black people in particular are vulnerable to medical misinformation originating from Black musicians such as Minaj. The reason is two-fold, they say: Black people are inclined to trust performers from within their community, who have helped them through many difficult periods, just as they are disinclined to trust the medical establishment that has long discriminated against them. "Where there is mistrust — and here there are generations of it — misinformation has an opportunity to flourish," the Blackstocks write. "The problem only worsens when the inaccurate information is coming from some of a community's most influential cultural figures." But don't think the writers are calling Nicki Minaj out. No, they're doing her one better. Read how it's time for Black physicians to call Black celebrities in.  (Charles Sykes/Invision/AP) Black Americans are particularly inclined to trust Black musicians — and distrust the medical establishment. By Oni Blackstock and Uché Blackstock ● Read more » | | | | Yes, I'm open to becoming a sack of dirt. By Kathleen Parker ● Read more » | | | | If you want the Supreme Court justice to vote your way, protesting in front of his house isn't necessarily the way to go about it. By Ruth Marcus ● Read more » | | | | The former president might hope for bombshell revelations about the FBI investigation of alleged ties between Russia and his 2016 campaign, but the indictment announced Thursday was more like a political pop gun. By Randall Eliason ● Read more » | | | August's inflation report may seem like good news. Don't be fooled. By Henry Olsen ● Read more » | | | | The "Justice for J6" rally is junior varsity. Defeating Trumpism, in all its ugly forms, is what should matter most. By Colbert King ● Read more » | | | | On tax policy, he isn't trying to. It's social infrastructure where the real difference could be made. By Paul Waldman ● Read more » | | | Both Youngkin and McAuliffe think mandates will help them win Virginia. Both cannot be right. By James Hohmann ● Read more » | | | | Senators' shared experience on Jan. 6 puts a unique responsibility on their shoulders to "support and defend" this democracy. By Tim Kaine ● Read more » | | | | The legal system struggles with the First Amendment complexities of Internet-enabled "cheap speech." By George F. Will ● Read more » | | | |
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