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{{Short description|American writer}} {{Short description|American writer (born 1973)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2019|cs1-dates=y}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2019|cs1-dates=y}}
{{Infobox writer {{Infobox writer
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|image = Alex Berenson (cropped).jpg |image = Alex Berenson (cropped).jpg
|caption = Berenson in 2022 |caption = Berenson in 2022
|birth_name = Alex Norman Berenson
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1973|1|6}} |birth_date = {{birth date and age|1973|1|6}}
|birth_place = ], U.S. |birth_place = ], U.S.
|death_date = |death_date =
|death_place = |death_place =
|spouse = Dr. Jacqueline Anne Basha<br> (m. 2009)<ref name=NYT/> |spouse = {{marriage|Jacqueline Anne Basha|2009}}<ref name=NYT/>
|education = ] (]) |education = ] (])
|genre = ], ] |genre = ], ]
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'''Alex Norman Berenson'''<ref name=NYT>{{cite news |title=Jacqueline Basha, Alex Berenson |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/10/fashion/weddings/10basha.html |access-date=24 June 2022 |work=] |date=May 9, 2009}}</ref> (born January 6, 1973) is an American writer who was a reporter for '']'', and has authored several thriller novels as well a book on corporate financial filings. His 2019 book '']'' sparked controversy, earning denunciations from many in the scientific and medical communities.{{ r | RS_TYC | guardian-alarmism | Nation_TYC | Hart_and_Ksir | VOX_Lopez }} '''Alex Norman Berenson'''<ref name=NYT>{{cite news |title=Jacqueline Basha, Alex Berenson |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/10/fashion/weddings/10basha.html |access-date=24 June 2022 |work=] |date=May 9, 2009}}</ref> (born January 6, 1973) is an American writer who was a reporter for '']'', and has authored several thriller novels as well a book on corporate financial filings. His 2019 book '']'' sparked controversy, earning denunciations from many in the scientific and medical communities.{{ r | RS_TYC | guardian-alarmism | Nation_TYC | Hart_and_Ksir | VOX_Lopez }}


During the ], Berenson appeared frequently in American right-wing media, spreading truth claims about COVID-19 and its vaccines.<ref name="VF_1" /> He spent much of the pandemic arguing that its seriousness was overblown; once ]s were rolled out, he made honest claims about Covid{{Cite news|last1=Grynbaum|first1=Michael M.|last2=Hsu|first2=Tiffany|last3=Kanno-Youngs|first3=Zolan|date=2021-07-20|title=On Fox News, Vaccination Pleas Intensify, but Skepticism Persists|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/20/business/media/fox-news-covid-vaccines.html|access-date=2021-07-21|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=PolitiFact - CDC says more young people hospitalized from vaccine than COVID-19 itself? False|url=https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2021/jun/30/instagram-posts/cdc-says-more-young-people-hospitalized-vaccine-co/|access-date=2021-07-21|website=@politifact|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite news|last=Check|first=Reuters Fact|date=2021-07-09|title=Fact Check-The CDC did not say fewer young people are hospitalized from COVID-19 than from vaccinations|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/fact-check-covid-cdc-idUSL2N2OL174|access-date=2021-07-21}}</ref> During the ], Berenson appeared frequently in American right-wing media, spreading claims about COVID-19 and its vaccines.<ref name="VF_1" /> He spent much of the pandemic arguing that its seriousness was overblown. Once the ]s became available, he made claims about the lack of safety and effectiveness of the vaccines.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Grynbaum|first1=Michael M.|last2=Hsu|first2=Tiffany|last3=Kanno-Youngs|first3=Zolan|date=2021-07-20|title=On Fox News, Vaccination Pleas Intensify, but Skepticism Persists|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/20/business/media/fox-news-covid-vaccines.html|access-date=2021-07-21|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=PolitiFact - CDC says more young people hospitalized from vaccine than COVID-19 itself? False|url=https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2021/jun/30/instagram-posts/cdc-says-more-young-people-hospitalized-vaccine-co/|access-date=2021-07-21|website=@politifact|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite news|last=|first= |date=2021-07-09|title=Fact Check {{!}} The CDC did not say fewer young people are hospitalized from COVID-19 than from vaccinations|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/fact-check-covid-cdc-idUSL2N2OL174|access-date=2021-07-21}}</ref>


==Early life and education== ==Early life and education==
Berenson was born in ], and grew up in ].<ref name="ab_bio">{{cite web|title=Alex Berenson Biography |url=http://www.alexberenson.com/?page_id=25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100201031552/http://www.alexberenson.com/?page_id=25 |url-status=dead |archive-date=1 February 2010 |access-date=12 September 2010 }}</ref> He is Jewish.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Interview with Alex Berenson |url=https://www.maxraskin.com/interviews/alex-berenson |access-date=2023-08-16 |website=Interviews with Max Raskin |language=en-US}}</ref> After attending the ], he graduated from ] in 1994 with bachelor's degrees in history and economics.<ref>Freedlander, David. , '']'', April 16, 2020. Accessed August 31, 2021. "Berenson's upbringing seems tailor-made for the media elite, growing up in Englewood, New Jersey, and attending Horace Mann and then Yale, where he graduated in 1994."</ref> Berenson was born in ], and grew up in ].<ref name="ab_bio">{{cite web|title=Alex Berenson Biography |url=http://www.alexberenson.com/?page_id=25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100201031552/http://www.alexberenson.com/?page_id=25 |url-status=dead |archive-date=1 February 2010 |access-date=12 September 2010 }}</ref> After attending the ], he graduated from ] in 1994 with bachelor's degrees in history and economics.<ref>Freedlander, David. , '']'', April 16, 2020. Accessed August 31, 2021. "Berenson's upbringing seems tailor-made for the media elite, growing up in Englewood, New Jersey, and attending Horace Mann and then Yale, where he graduated in 1994."</ref>

Berenson describes himself as a ].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Interview with Alex Berenson |url=https://www.maxraskin.com/interviews/alex-berenson |access-date=2024-11-24 |website=Interviews with Max Raskin |language=en-US}}</ref>


==Career== ==Career==
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In the fall of 2003 and the summer of 2004, Berenson covered the occupation of Iraq for the ''Times''. He then covered the pharmaceutical and health care industries, specializing in issues concerning dangerous drugs.<ref>{{cite web|last=Berenson |first=Alex |url=http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/people/b/alex_berenson/index.html |title=Alex Berenson - The New York Times |publisher=Topics.nytimes.com |access-date=2010-09-12| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101004125113/http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/people/b/alex_berenson/index.html| archive-date= 4 October 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref> Beginning in December 2008, Berenson reported on the ] $50 billion ] scandal. In the fall of 2003 and the summer of 2004, Berenson covered the occupation of Iraq for the ''Times''. He then covered the pharmaceutical and health care industries, specializing in issues concerning dangerous drugs.<ref>{{cite web|last=Berenson |first=Alex |url=http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/people/b/alex_berenson/index.html |title=Alex Berenson - The New York Times |publisher=Topics.nytimes.com |access-date=2010-09-12| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101004125113/http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/people/b/alex_berenson/index.html| archive-date= 4 October 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref> Beginning in December 2008, Berenson reported on the ] $50 billion ] scandal.


In 2010, Berenson left the ''Times'' to become a full-time novelist.
⚫ In 2010, Berenson left the ''Times'' to become a full-time novelist. He lives in ],<ref>{{cite news |title=Anti-marijuana author to visit Colorado Springs, share findings |date=2019-03-19 |last=Boster |first=Seth |newspaper=] |url=https://gazette.com/life/anti-marijuana-author-to-visit-colorado-springs-share-findings/article_adf40858-45f9-11e9-a326-f7c0d3eff37b.html |access-date=2020-04-17}}</ref> with his wife Jacqueline, a ].{{ r | Nation_TYC | p=1 | q=He states in the book's introduction that he began his investigation into the connections between pot, psychosis, and crime after he had a conversation with his wife, a forensic psychiatrist, in which she told him that all of the violent criminals she's worked with have smoked marijuana.}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://highlandscurrent.org/2014/02/16/living-spy-life/|title=Living the Spy Life|work=The Highlands Current|date=February 16, 2014|last=Rowe|first=Chip|access-date=September 1, 2021}}</ref>


He has written 12 spy novels, all featuring the same protagonist, ] agent John Wells. His first novel, '']'', was released in April 2006 and won an ] for best debut by an American novelist.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Faithful Spy |url=https://www.npr.org/books/titles/138346597/the-faithful-spy-a-novel |website=NPR |access-date=2020-04-17}}</ref> ''The Faithful Spy'' was ranked #1 on '']'' for paperbacks.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/author/alex-berenson |title=Alex Berenson |website=The Daily Beast |date=February 12, 2014 |access-date=2020-04-17}}</ref> He has written 12 spy novels, all featuring the same protagonist, ] agent John Wells. His first novel, '']'', was released in April 2006 and won an ] for best debut by an American novelist.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Faithful Spy |url=https://www.npr.org/books/titles/138346597/the-faithful-spy-a-novel |website=NPR |access-date=2020-04-17}}</ref> ''The Faithful Spy'' was ranked #1 on '']'' for paperbacks.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/author/alex-berenson |title=Alex Berenson |website=The Daily Beast |date=February 12, 2014 |access-date=2020-04-17}}</ref>
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=== Opposition to cannabis legalization === === Opposition to cannabis legalization ===
In 2019, Berenson authored the book ''Tell Your Children: The Truth About Marijuana, Mental Illness and Violence'', which argues that marijuana use contributes to psychotic disorders and violent crime. The book "received positive coverage from the New Yorker and Mother Jones for what some called its troubling truths"<ref> - Washington Post. 16 April 2019</ref> but was denounced as alarmist and inaccurate in the scientific and medical communities because of his claims that ] and violence; many scientists state that he is drawing inappropriate conclusions from the research, primarily by ],{{ r | RS_TYC | p=1 | q=At this point, several experts have publicly debunked the book's claims — much of which seems to be based on the common fallacy of mistaking correlation for causation. Mark A. R. Kleiman, a prominent economist who has consistently voiced concern about the negative effects of legal cannabis sales, pointed out that since the early 1990s, as pot usage in America has dramatically increased, violent crime has significantly decreased. One of the experts that Gladwell quotes as warning Canadian parliament on the uncertainties around cannabis, RAND Drug Policy Research Center co-director Beau Kilmer, tweeted in response to Berenson a rather comprehensive study showing, "Marijuana use does not induce violent crime." Another researcher pointed out that Berenson's contention that legalization leads to violence, based on limited data from Washington and Colorado, is akin to saying that organic food causes autism, because sales of organic food have risen, in recent years, apace with autism diagnoses.}}{{ r | Hart_and_Ksir | p=1 | q=It is true that people diagnosed with psychosis are more likely to report current or prior use of marijuana than people without psychosis. The easy conclusion to draw from that is that marijuana use caused an increased risk of psychosis, and it is that easy answer that Berenson has seized upon. However, this ignores evidence that psychotic behavior is also associated with higher rates of tobacco use, and with the use of stimulants and opioids. Do all these things "cause" psychosis, or is there another, more likely answer? In our many decades of college teaching, one of the most important things we have tried to impart to our students is the distinction between correlation (two things are statistically associated) and causation (one thing causes another). For example, the wearing of light clothing is more likely during the same months as higher sales of ice-cream, but we do not believe that either causes the other. }}{{ r | Open_Letter | p=1 | q=Overview of the Problems with the Scientific Claims of the Book: * Attributing cause to mere associations. Berenson irresponsibly and dangerously claims a causal link between marijuana use and increases in rates of psychosis and schizophrenia, which have purportedly led to increases in population-level violence. While associations between marijuana use and mental illness have been established, research suggests that the association is complex and mediated by multiple factors other than marijuana, including genetics. Similarly, associations between individual characteristics and violence are multi-factorial. Thus, establishing marijuana as a causal link to violence at the individual level is both theoretically and empirically problematic. Further weakening his arguments, the vast majority of people who use marijuana do not develop psychosis or schizophrenia, nor do they engage in violence, thus making Berenson's claims far-reaching and exaggerated. }}{{ r | guardian-alarmism | p=1 | q=A group of 75 scholars and medical professionals have criticised a controversial new book about the purported dangers of marijuana, calling it an example of "alarmism" designed to stir up public fear "based on a deeply inaccurate misreading of science". }}{{ r | VF_1 | p=1 | q=This isn't the first time Berenson has peddled health misinformation moonlighting as hard, contrarian truth. In 2019, he published Tell Your Children: The Truth About Marijuana, Mental Illness and Violence, a Reefer Madness–style book warning of rampant THC-linked societal problems. In a letter, 100 academics and clinicians from some of America's top medical institutions denounced arguments in Berenson's book, describing his research as "flawed pop science" and a perpetuation of "the worst myths about people of color and people with mental illness". }} In 2019, Berenson authored the book ''Tell Your Children: The Truth About Marijuana, Mental Illness and Violence'', which argues that marijuana use contributes to psychotic disorders and violent crime. The book "received positive coverage from ''The New Yorker'' and ''Mother Jones'' for what some called its troubling truths"<ref> - Washington Post. 16 April 2019</ref> but was denounced as alarmist and inaccurate in the scientific and medical communities because of his claims that ] and violence; many scientists state that he is drawing inappropriate conclusions from the research, primarily by ],{{ r | RS_TYC | p=1 | q=At this point, several experts have publicly debunked the book's claims — much of which seems to be based on the common fallacy of mistaking correlation for causation. Mark A. R. Kleiman, a prominent economist who has consistently voiced concern about the negative effects of legal cannabis sales, pointed out that since the early 1990s, as pot usage in America has dramatically increased, violent crime has significantly decreased. One of the experts that Gladwell quotes as warning Canadian parliament on the uncertainties around cannabis, RAND Drug Policy Research Center co-director Beau Kilmer, tweeted in response to Berenson a rather comprehensive study showing, "Marijuana use does not induce violent crime." Another researcher pointed out that Berenson's contention that legalization leads to violence, based on limited data from Washington and Colorado, is akin to saying that organic food causes autism, because sales of organic food have risen, in recent years, apace with autism diagnoses.}}{{ r | Hart_and_Ksir | p=1 | q=It is true that people diagnosed with psychosis are more likely to report current or prior use of marijuana than people without psychosis. The easy conclusion to draw from that is that marijuana use caused an increased risk of psychosis, and it is that easy answer that Berenson has seized upon. However, this ignores evidence that psychotic behavior is also associated with higher rates of tobacco use, and with the use of stimulants and opioids. Do all these things "cause" psychosis, or is there another, more likely answer? In our many decades of college teaching, one of the most important things we have tried to impart to our students is the distinction between correlation (two things are statistically associated) and causation (one thing causes another). For example, the wearing of light clothing is more likely during the same months as higher sales of ice-cream, but we do not believe that either causes the other. }}{{ r | Open_Letter | p=1 | q=Overview of the Problems with the Scientific Claims of the Book: * Attributing cause to mere associations. Berenson irresponsibly and dangerously claims a causal link between marijuana use and increases in rates of psychosis and schizophrenia, which have purportedly led to increases in population-level violence. While associations between marijuana use and mental illness have been established, research suggests that the association is complex and mediated by multiple factors other than marijuana, including genetics. Similarly, associations between individual characteristics and violence are multi-factorial. Thus, establishing marijuana as a causal link to violence at the individual level is both theoretically and empirically problematic. Further weakening his arguments, the vast majority of people who use marijuana do not develop psychosis or schizophrenia, nor do they engage in violence, thus making Berenson's claims far-reaching and exaggerated. }}{{ r | guardian-alarmism | p=1 | q=A group of 75 scholars and medical professionals have criticised a controversial new book about the purported dangers of marijuana, calling it an example of "alarmism" designed to stir up public fear "based on a deeply inaccurate misreading of science". }}{{ r | VF_1 | p=1 | q=This isn't the first time Berenson has peddled health misinformation moonlighting as hard, contrarian truth. In 2019, he published Tell Your Children: The Truth About Marijuana, Mental Illness and Violence, a Reefer Madness–style book warning of rampant THC-linked societal problems. In a letter, 100 academics and clinicians from some of America's top medical institutions denounced arguments in Berenson's book, describing his research as "flawed pop science" and a perpetuation of "the worst myths about people of color and people with mental illness". }}
as well as ]{{ r | Nation_TYC | p=1 | q=Additionally, while Berenson takes the trouble to position himself as an expert at interpreting data based on his time as a reporter covering the health-care industry, he has been criticized for cherry-picking studies in this book. The most notable critique comes from one of the researchers who conducted the study he cites for "arguably the most important finding of all": a report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine that Berenson claims establishes the link between psychosis and marijuana. "In response to the recent @NYTimes editorial on cannabis and as a committee member on the @theNASEM #cannabis and #cannabinoids report we did NOT conclude that cannabis causes schizophrenia", pharmacologist and cannabis researcher Ziva Cooper tweeted in response to an op-ed by Berenson in The New York Times. }} as well as ]{{ r | Nation_TYC | p=1 | q=Additionally, while Berenson takes the trouble to position himself as an expert at interpreting data based on his time as a reporter covering the health-care industry, he has been criticized for cherry-picking studies in this book. The most notable critique comes from one of the researchers who conducted the study he cites for "arguably the most important finding of all": a report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine that Berenson claims establishes the link between psychosis and marijuana. "In response to the recent @NYTimes editorial on cannabis and as a committee member on the @theNASEM #cannabis and #cannabinoids report we did NOT conclude that cannabis causes schizophrenia", pharmacologist and cannabis researcher Ziva Cooper tweeted in response to an op-ed by Berenson in The New York Times. }}
data that fits his narrative, and falling victim to ] via his use of ]{{ r | Nation_TYC | p=1 | q=Likewise, Berenson relies heavily on selective anecdotal evidence. For example, he recounts the story of a Mormon man who shot and killed his wife after eating part of a THC-infused candy bar—but he glosses over the marital problems that the couple were having at the time of the wife's murder, and the fact that she'd expressed a fear of her husband to friends in the days prior to her murder. }} data that fits his narrative, and falling victim to ] via his use of ]{{ r | Nation_TYC | p=1 | q=Likewise, Berenson relies heavily on selective anecdotal evidence. For example, he recounts the story of a Mormon man who shot and killed his wife after eating part of a THC-infused candy bar—but he glosses over the marital problems that the couple were having at the time of the wife's murder, and the fact that she'd expressed a fear of her husband to friends in the days prior to her murder. }}
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In May 2020, ] announced that Berenson would host a TV show called ''COVID Contrarian'' on its online streaming platform ]. However, by July 2020, amid surges in coronavirus cases across parts of the United States, Fox News appeared to have backtracked and removed the announcement of his show from its website.<ref>{{Cite web|title=As coronavirus surges, Fox News shifts its message on masks|url=https://news.yahoo.com/as-coronavirus-surges-fox-news-shifts-its-message-on-masks-200834996.html|access-date=2020-07-02|website=news.yahoo.com|date=July 2, 2020 |language=en-US}}</ref> In May 2020, ] announced that Berenson would host a TV show called ''COVID Contrarian'' on its online streaming platform ]. However, by July 2020, amid surges in coronavirus cases across parts of the United States, Fox News appeared to have backtracked and removed the announcement of his show from its website.<ref>{{Cite web|title=As coronavirus surges, Fox News shifts its message on masks|url=https://news.yahoo.com/as-coronavirus-surges-fox-news-shifts-its-message-on-masks-200834996.html|access-date=2020-07-02|website=news.yahoo.com|date=July 2, 2020 |language=en-US}}</ref>


In 2021, Berenson tweeted that COVID-19 vaccinations had led to 50 times more adverse effects than flu vaccine. ] rated the claim "mostly false".<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=PolitiFact - A claim comparing adverse events for COVID-19, flu vaccines exaggerates raw data|url=https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2021/jan/15/facebook-posts/claim-comparing-adverse-events-covid-19-flu-vaccin/|access-date=2021-07-17|website=@politifact|language=en-US}}</ref> '']'' called him "The pandemic's wrongest man", owing to his false claims of the vaccine's ineffectiveness.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Thompson|first=Derek|date=2021-04-01|title=The Pandemic's Wrongest Man|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/04/pandemics-wrongest-man/618475/|access-date=2021-04-01|website=The Atlantic|language=en}}</ref> In 2021, Berenson tweeted that COVID-19 vaccinations had led to 50 times more adverse effects than flu vaccine. ] rated the claim "mostly false".<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=PolitiFact - A claim comparing adverse events for COVID-19, flu vaccines exaggerates raw data|url=https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2021/jan/15/facebook-posts/claim-comparing-adverse-events-covid-19-flu-vaccin/|access-date=2021-07-17|website=@politifact|language=en-US}}</ref> '']'' called him "The pandemic's wrongest man", owing to what they termed his "dangerously, unflaggingly, and superlatively wrong" claims of the vaccine's ineffectiveness.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Thompson|first=Derek|date=2021-04-01|title=The Pandemic's Wrongest Man|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/04/pandemics-wrongest-man/618475/|access-date=2021-04-01|website=The Atlantic|language=en}}</ref>


On January 25, 2022, Berenson appeared on the Fox News show '']'' declaring that existing mRNA vaccines are "dangerous and ineffective" against COVID-19, and further demanding that they be withdrawn from the market immediately.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Ramírez|first1=Nikki|title=Alex Berenson tells Fox viewers: "The mRNA COVID vaccines need to be withdrawn from the market. No one should get them. No one should get boosted. No one should get double boosted. They are a dangerous and ineffective product at this point."|url=https://twitter.com/NikkiMcR/status/1486154086877650945|access-date=25 January 2022|work=Media Matters for America|date=25 January 2022|language=en}}</ref> '']''{{'}}s Philip Bump denounced Carlson for "inviting Berenson on, despite his proven track record of misinformation and cherry-picking" and observed that "Berenson's claims went unchallenged."<ref>{{cite news|last=Bump|first=Philip|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/01/26/tucker-carlson-airs-his-most-dishonest-dangerous-pandemic-segment-yet/|title=Tucker Carlson airs his most dishonest and dangerous pandemic segment yet|newspaper=]|date=2022-01-26|accessdate=2022-01-27}}</ref> On January 25, 2022, Berenson appeared on the Fox News show '']'' declaring that existing mRNA vaccines are "dangerous and ineffective" against COVID-19, and further demanding that they be withdrawn from the market immediately.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Ramírez|first1=Nikki|title=Alex Berenson tells Fox viewers: "The mRNA COVID vaccines need to be withdrawn from the market. No one should get them. No one should get boosted. No one should get double boosted. They are a dangerous and ineffective product at this point."|url=https://twitter.com/NikkiMcR/status/1486154086877650945|access-date=25 January 2022|work=Media Matters for America|date=25 January 2022|language=en}}</ref> '']''{{'}}s Philip Bump denounced Carlson for "inviting Berenson on, despite his proven track record of misinformation and cherry-picking" and observed that "Berenson's claims went unchallenged."<ref>{{cite news|last=Bump|first=Philip|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/01/26/tucker-carlson-airs-his-most-dishonest-dangerous-pandemic-segment-yet/|title=Tucker Carlson airs his most dishonest and dangerous pandemic segment yet|newspaper=]|date=2022-01-26|accessdate=2022-01-27}}</ref>

Berenson said in an August 2023 interview that he was not vaccinated against COVID-19 and would not vaccinate his children against it.<ref name=":2" />


====Twitter suspension and reinstatement==== ====Twitter suspension and reinstatement====
On August 28, 2021, ] permanently suspended Berenson for repeated violations of its policy on COVID-19 misinformation, but after Berenson filed suit in December 2021 demanding reinstatement, Twitter reinstated Berenson's account in early summer 2022, in a "mutually acceptable resolution".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bolies |first1=Corbin |title=COVID Truther Alex Berenson Finally Banned From Twitter |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/covid-truther-alex-berenson-finally-banned-from-twitter |access-date=29 August 2021 |work=The Daily Beast |date=29 August 2021 |language=en}}</ref>{{ r | Atlantic_2022-08-24 }} This reinstatement was referred to as "significant" by The Atlantic, given that most social-media-banned people fail to win their court cases.<ref name=Atlantic_2022-08-24>{{cite news | url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2022/08/alex-berenson-twitter-ban-lawsuit-covid-misinformation/671219/ | last=Tiffany | first=Kaitlyn | title=A Prominent Vaccine Skeptic Returns to Twitter | newspaper=] | date=August 24, 2022 | quote=Berenson's victory was not based on his argument that his ban was a violation of the First Amendment; the judge rejected this claim. Instead, his success seems to have hinged on promises made to him by a high-level Twitter employee. “The points you’re raising should not be an issue at all,” the company’s then–vice president of global communications assured Berenson at one point, according to the complaint. The lawsuit says the same executive later told Berenson that his name had “never come up in the discussions” about Twitter’s COVID-19 misinformation policies. Goldman believes that the court’s decision to allow a claim based on that correspondence prompted Twitter to settle. Internet-service executives have always been instructed by lawyers not to talk with people about their individual accounts and not to make any promises about what might happen, Goldman said, “for reasons that should now be obvious.”}}</ref> On August 28, 2021, ] permanently suspended Berenson for repeated violations of its policy on COVID-19 misinformation, but after Berenson filed suit in December 2021 demanding reinstatement, Twitter reinstated Berenson's account in early summer 2022, in a "mutually acceptable resolution".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bolies |first1=Corbin |title=COVID Truther Alex Berenson Finally Banned From Twitter |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/covid-truther-alex-berenson-finally-banned-from-twitter |access-date=29 August 2021 |work=The Daily Beast |date=29 August 2021 |language=en}}</ref>{{ r | Atlantic_2022-08-24 }} This reinstatement was referred to as "significant" by ''The Atlantic'', given that most social-media-banned people fail to win their court cases.<ref name=Atlantic_2022-08-24>{{cite news | url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2022/08/alex-berenson-twitter-ban-lawsuit-covid-misinformation/671219/ | last=Tiffany | first=Kaitlyn | title=A Prominent Vaccine Skeptic Returns to Twitter | newspaper=] | date=August 24, 2022 | quote=Berenson's victory was not based on his argument that his ban was a violation of the First Amendment; the judge rejected this claim. Instead, his success seems to have hinged on promises made to him by a high-level Twitter employee. “The points you’re raising should not be an issue at all,” the company’s then–vice president of global communications assured Berenson at one point, according to the complaint. The lawsuit says the same executive later told Berenson that his name had “never come up in the discussions” about Twitter’s COVID-19 misinformation policies. Goldman believes that the court’s decision to allow a claim based on that correspondence prompted Twitter to settle. Internet-service executives have always been instructed by lawyers not to talk with people about their individual accounts and not to make any promises about what might happen, Goldman said, "for reasons that should now be obvious".}}</ref>


Berenson did not regain Twitter access because of a ] free speech claim, which was rejected by the judge.{{ r | Atlantic_2022-08-24 }} ], a law professor at ], theorizes that Twitter settled because of documentation of promises made to Berenson by a high-level Twitter employee concerning the nature of his tweets.{{ r | Atlantic_2022-08-24 }} Goldman stated that Internet company executives have always been advised by their attorneys not to make promises to, nor even to speak to anyone about their individual accounts "for reasons that should now be obvious."{{ r | Atlantic_2022-08-24 }} Berenson did not regain Twitter access because of a ] free speech claim, which was rejected by the judge.{{ r | Atlantic_2022-08-24 }} ], a law professor at ], theorizes that Twitter settled because of documentation of promises made to Berenson by a high-level Twitter employee concerning the nature of his tweets.{{ r | Atlantic_2022-08-24 }} Goldman stated that Internet company executives have always been advised by their attorneys not to make promises to or even to speak to anyone about their individual accounts "for reasons that should now be obvious".{{ r | Atlantic_2022-08-24 }}


On April 14, 2023, Berenson filed a ] in a ] against ] in his official capacity, members of his administration in their individual capacities, and a board member and the CEO of ] regarding allegations of First Amendment violations and other claims resulting from the Twitter ban of Berenson.<ref>{{cite web |title=Case 1:23-cv-03048-PAE Document 3 Filed 04/14/23 70 Pages|url=https://ia600407.us.archive.org/18/items/gov.uscourts.nysd.597054/gov.uscourts.nysd.597054.3.0.pdf |website=gov.uscourts.nysd |publisher=U.S. District Court Southern District of New York |access-date=18 November 2024}}</ref>
== Political beliefs ==
In a 2023 interview, Berenson said that he never voted for a Republican presidential candidate and would never vote for Donald Trump for president.<ref name=":2" />


== Personal life == == Personal Life ==
Berenson describes growing up "center, center-right" but always voting Democrat.<ref name=":2" /> He says he voted for Donald Trump in the 2024 election.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Berenson |first=Alex |date=2024-11-02 |title=Why I'm voting for Donald J. Trump |url=https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/alex-berenson-why-im-voting-donald-j-trump?intcmp=tw_fnc |access-date=2024-11-24 |website=Fox News |language=en-US}}</ref>
Berenson describes himself as a reformed Jew.


⚫ He lives in ],<ref>{{cite news |last=Boster |first=Seth |date=2019-03-19 |title=Anti-marijuana author to visit Colorado Springs, share findings |url=https://gazette.com/life/anti-marijuana-author-to-visit-colorado-springs-share-findings/article_adf40858-45f9-11e9-a326-f7c0d3eff37b.html |access-date=2020-04-17 |newspaper=]}}</ref> with his wife Jacqueline, a ].{{r | Nation_TYC | p=1 | q=He states in the book's introduction that he began his investigation into the connections between pot, psychosis, and crime after he had a conversation with his wife, a forensic psychiatrist, in which she told him that all of the violent criminals she's worked with have smoked marijuana.}}<ref>{{cite web |last=Rowe |first=Chip |date=February 16, 2014 |title=Living the Spy Life |url=https://highlandscurrent.org/2014/02/16/living-spy-life/ |access-date=September 1, 2021 |work=The Highlands Current}}</ref>
He is a poker player.<ref name=":2" />


==Books== ==Books==
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The Power Couple February 9, 2021 Mystery, Thriller Simon & Schuster


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Latest revision as of 23:52, 24 November 2024

American writer (born 1973)

Alex Berenson
Berenson in 2022Berenson in 2022
BornAlex Norman Berenson
(1973-01-06) January 6, 1973 (age 52)
New York, U.S.
EducationYale University (BA)
GenreNonfiction, spy fiction
SubjectPolitics
Notable awardsEdgar Award (2007)
Spouse Jacqueline Anne Basha ​ ​(m. 2009)​
Website
Official website

Alex Norman Berenson (born January 6, 1973) is an American writer who was a reporter for The New York Times, and has authored several thriller novels as well a book on corporate financial filings. His 2019 book Tell Your Children: The Truth About Marijuana, Mental Illness and Violence sparked controversy, earning denunciations from many in the scientific and medical communities.

During the coronavirus pandemic, Berenson appeared frequently in American right-wing media, spreading claims about COVID-19 and its vaccines. He spent much of the pandemic arguing that its seriousness was overblown. Once the COVID-19 vaccines became available, he made claims about the lack of safety and effectiveness of the vaccines.

Early life and education

Berenson was born in New York, and grew up in Englewood, New Jersey. After attending the Horace Mann School, he graduated from Yale University in 1994 with bachelor's degrees in history and economics.

Berenson describes himself as a Reform Jew.

Career

Berenson joined The Denver Post in June 1994 as a business reporter. In August 1996, he left the Post to join TheStreet, a financial news website founded by Jim Cramer. In December 1999, Berenson joined The New York Times as a business investigative reporter.

In the fall of 2003 and the summer of 2004, Berenson covered the occupation of Iraq for the Times. He then covered the pharmaceutical and health care industries, specializing in issues concerning dangerous drugs. Beginning in December 2008, Berenson reported on the Bernard Madoff $50 billion Ponzi scheme scandal.

In 2010, Berenson left the Times to become a full-time novelist.

He has written 12 spy novels, all featuring the same protagonist, CIA agent John Wells. His first novel, The Faithful Spy, was released in April 2006 and won an Edgar Award for best debut by an American novelist. The Faithful Spy was ranked #1 on The New York Times Bestseller List for paperbacks.

In 2008, Berenson released his second thriller, The Ghost War. His third novel, The Silent Man, followed in 2009. His fourth, The Midnight House, was released in 2010 and debuted at #9 on The New York Times bestseller list. The fifth, The Secret Soldier, was released in 2011 and debuted at #6 on the bestseller list. The sixth, The Shadow Patrol, was released in 2012, and debuted at #8. In July 2012, The Shadow Patrol was named a finalist for the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award, given by Britain's Crime Writers' Association.

Opposition to cannabis legalization

In 2019, Berenson authored the book Tell Your Children: The Truth About Marijuana, Mental Illness and Violence, which argues that marijuana use contributes to psychotic disorders and violent crime. The book "received positive coverage from The New Yorker and Mother Jones for what some called its troubling truths" but was denounced as alarmist and inaccurate in the scientific and medical communities because of his claims that cannabis causes psychosis and violence; many scientists state that he is drawing inappropriate conclusions from the research, primarily by inferring causation from correlation, as well as cherry picking data that fits his narrative, and falling victim to selection bias via his use of anecdotes to back up his assertions.

COVID-19 pandemic

See also: COVID-19 misinformation

Early in the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Berenson vocally argued that people and the media were overestimating the risk of the new virus, that it posed little risk to young Americans, and that it was being used as a cover for government overreach. Many public health experts have rejected his claims.

In May 2020, Fox News announced that Berenson would host a TV show called COVID Contrarian on its online streaming platform Fox Nation. However, by July 2020, amid surges in coronavirus cases across parts of the United States, Fox News appeared to have backtracked and removed the announcement of his show from its website.

In 2021, Berenson tweeted that COVID-19 vaccinations had led to 50 times more adverse effects than flu vaccine. PolitiFact rated the claim "mostly false". The Atlantic called him "The pandemic's wrongest man", owing to what they termed his "dangerously, unflaggingly, and superlatively wrong" claims of the vaccine's ineffectiveness.

On January 25, 2022, Berenson appeared on the Fox News show Tucker Carlson Tonight declaring that existing mRNA vaccines are "dangerous and ineffective" against COVID-19, and further demanding that they be withdrawn from the market immediately. The Washington Post's Philip Bump denounced Carlson for "inviting Berenson on, despite his proven track record of misinformation and cherry-picking" and observed that "Berenson's claims went unchallenged."

Twitter suspension and reinstatement

On August 28, 2021, Twitter permanently suspended Berenson for repeated violations of its policy on COVID-19 misinformation, but after Berenson filed suit in December 2021 demanding reinstatement, Twitter reinstated Berenson's account in early summer 2022, in a "mutually acceptable resolution". This reinstatement was referred to as "significant" by The Atlantic, given that most social-media-banned people fail to win their court cases.

Berenson did not regain Twitter access because of a First Amendment free speech claim, which was rejected by the judge. Eric Goldman, a law professor at Santa Clara University School of Law, theorizes that Twitter settled because of documentation of promises made to Berenson by a high-level Twitter employee concerning the nature of his tweets. Goldman stated that Internet company executives have always been advised by their attorneys not to make promises to or even to speak to anyone about their individual accounts "for reasons that should now be obvious".

On April 14, 2023, Berenson filed a lawsuit in a federal district court against president Biden in his official capacity, members of his administration in their individual capacities, and a board member and the CEO of Pfizer regarding allegations of First Amendment violations and other claims resulting from the Twitter ban of Berenson.

Personal Life

Berenson describes growing up "center, center-right" but always voting Democrat. He says he voted for Donald Trump in the 2024 election.

He lives in Garrison, New York, with his wife Jacqueline, a forensic psychiatrist.

Books

Novels

John Wells series

No. Title Publisher Date Genre ISBN
1The Faithful SpyRandom HouseApril 25, 2006Spy fiction978-0-345-47899-3
2The Ghost WarPutnamFebruary 12, 2008Spy fiction978-0-399-15453-9
3The Silent ManPutnamFebruary 10, 2009Spy fiction978-0-399-15538-3
4The Midnight HousePutnamFebruary 10, 2010Spy fiction978-0-399-15620-5
5The Secret SoldierPutnamFebruary 8, 2011Spy fiction978-0-399-15708-0
6The Shadow PatrolPutnamFebruary 21, 2012Spy fiction978-0-399-15829-2
7The Night RangerPutnamFebruary 12, 2013Spy fiction978-0-399-15972-5
8The Counterfeit AgentPutnamFebruary 11, 2014Spy fiction978-0-399-15973-2
9Twelve DaysPutnamFebruary 10, 2015Spy fiction978-0-399-15974-9
10The WolvesPutnamFebruary 9, 2016Spy fiction978-0-399-17614-2
11The PrisonerPutnamJanuary 31, 2017Spy fiction978-0-399-17615-9
12The DeceiversPutnamFebruary 6, 2018Spy fiction978-0-698-40753-4

The Power Couple February 9, 2021 Mystery, Thriller Simon & Schuster

Non-fiction

Awards

  • 2007 Edgar Award for best first novel, for The Faithful Spy

References

  1. ^ "The Edgars 2007 - Best First Novel By An American Author". The Edgars 2007. Mystery Writers of America. Archived from the original on 2010-03-12. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
  2. ^ "Jacqueline Basha, Alex Berenson". The New York Times. 2009-05-09. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
  3. ^ Lewis, Amanda (2019-01-12). "Is Alex Berenson Trolling Us With His Anti-Weed Book? - A former 'New York Times' journalist wrote about a "hidden epidemic" cause by pot — but it seems he got the science wrong". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2019-01-23. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
  4. ^ Lartey, Jamiles (2019-02-17). "Popular book on marijuana's apparent dangers is pure alarmism, experts say - Doctors and scientists criticize 'flawed pop science' of Tell Your Children – but author Alex Berenson stands by his claims". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2019-02-23. Retrieved 2019-04-22.
  5. ^ Way, Katie (2019-01-28). "What Fearmongering About Pot Tells You About Mainstream Marijuana Coverage - Alex Berenson's Tell Your Children relies on hyperbole and paranoia to argue against legalization". The Nation. Archived from the original on 2019-02-03. Retrieved 2019-05-10.
  6. ^ Hart, Carl; Ksir, Charles (2019-01-20). "Does marijuana use really cause psychotic disorders? - Alex Berenson says the drug causes 'sharp increases in murders and aggravated assaults'. As scientists, we find his claims misinformed and reckless". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2019-02-01. Retrieved 2019-05-01.
  7. ^ Lopez, German (2019-01-14). "What Alex Berenson's new book gets wrong about marijuana, psychosis, and violence - The book, Tell Your Children, has received a lot of media attention, but it's essentially Reefer Madness 2.0". Vox. Archived from the original on 2019-02-04. Retrieved 2019-04-30.
  8. ^ Ecarma, Caleb (2020-04-10). "An Ex-New York Times Reporter Has Become the Right's Go-To Coronavirus Skeptic - Alex Berenson, a journalist and thriller writer, is being quoted on Breitbart and appearing on Fox News—even going too far for Sean Hannity". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on 2020-04-11. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  9. Grynbaum, Michael M.; Hsu, Tiffany; Kanno-Youngs, Zolan (2021-07-20). "On Fox News, Vaccination Pleas Intensify, but Skepticism Persists". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
  10. ^ Thompson, Derek (2021-04-01). "The Pandemic's Wrongest Man". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
  11. "PolitiFact - CDC says more young people hospitalized from vaccine than COVID-19 itself? False". @politifact. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
  12. ^ "PolitiFact - A claim comparing adverse events for COVID-19, flu vaccines exaggerates raw data". @politifact. Retrieved 2021-07-17.
  13. "Fact Check | The CDC did not say fewer young people are hospitalized from COVID-19 than from vaccinations". Reuters. 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
  14. "Alex Berenson Biography". Archived from the original on 2010-02-01. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
  15. Freedlander, David. "Does the King of the COVID-19 Contrarians Have a Case? Alex Berenson, thriller writer, former Timesman, and marijuana alarmist, thinks scientists, politicians, and the media are fueling coronavirus hysteria. Some scientists think he's dead wrong. 'He should go back to school to learn some science,' says one.", Vanity Fair, April 16, 2020. Accessed August 31, 2021. "Berenson's upbringing seems tailor-made for the media elite, growing up in Englewood, New Jersey, and attending Horace Mann and then Yale, where he graduated in 1994."
  16. ^ "Interview with Alex Berenson". Interviews with Max Raskin. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
  17. Berenson, Alex. "Alex Berenson - The New York Times". Topics.nytimes.com. Archived from the original on 2010-10-04. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
  18. "The Faithful Spy". NPR. Retrieved 2020-04-17.
  19. "Alex Berenson". The Daily Beast. 2014-02-12. Retrieved 2020-04-17.
  20. "Hardcover Fiction". The New York Times. 2010-02-28. Retrieved 2020-04-17.
  21. "Hardcover Fiction". The New York Times. 2011-02-27. Retrieved 2020-04-17.
  22. "Hardcover Fiction". The New York Times. 2012-03-11. Retrieved 2020-04-17.
  23. Tixier Herald, Diana; Stavole-Carter, Samuel (2019). Genreflecting: A Guide to Popular Reading Interests (8th ed.). ABC-CLIO. p. 206. ISBN 9781440858482.
  24. "Ian Fleming Steel Dagger award nominees announced". MI6-HQ.com. 2012-07-10. Retrieved 2020-04-17.
  25. "The Shadow Patrol". The Crime Writers' Association. Retrieved 2020-04-17.
  26. The return of ‘reefer madness’ - Washington Post. 16 April 2019
  27. ^ Multiple Signatories (2019-02-14). "Letter from Scholars and Clinicians who Oppose Junk Science about Marijuana". Drug Policy Alliance. Archived from the original on 2019-04-17. Retrieved 2019-04-22.
  28. Dufton, Emily; Richert, Lucas (2019-04-16). "The return of 'reefer madness'". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2019-04-17. Retrieved 2019-05-02.
  29. ^ Freedlander, David (2020-04-16). "Does the King of the COVID-19 Contrarians Have a Case?". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2020-05-04.
  30. "As coronavirus surges, Fox News shifts its message on masks". news.yahoo.com. 2020-07-02. Retrieved 2020-07-02.
  31. Ramírez, Nikki (2022-01-25). "Alex Berenson tells Fox viewers: "The mRNA COVID vaccines need to be withdrawn from the market. No one should get them. No one should get boosted. No one should get double boosted. They are a dangerous and ineffective product at this point."". Media Matters for America. Retrieved 2022-01-25.
  32. Bump, Philip (2022-01-26). "Tucker Carlson airs his most dishonest and dangerous pandemic segment yet". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2022-01-27.
  33. Bolies, Corbin (2021-08-29). "COVID Truther Alex Berenson Finally Banned From Twitter". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
  34. ^ Tiffany, Kaitlyn (2022-08-24). "A Prominent Vaccine Skeptic Returns to Twitter". The Atlantic. Berenson's victory was not based on his argument that his ban was a violation of the First Amendment; the judge rejected this claim. Instead, his success seems to have hinged on promises made to him by a high-level Twitter employee. "The points you're raising should not be an issue at all," the company's then–vice president of global communications assured Berenson at one point, according to the complaint. The lawsuit says the same executive later told Berenson that his name had "never come up in the discussions" about Twitter's COVID-19 misinformation policies. Goldman believes that the court's decision to allow a claim based on that correspondence prompted Twitter to settle. Internet-service executives have always been instructed by lawyers not to talk with people about their individual accounts and not to make any promises about what might happen, Goldman said, "for reasons that should now be obvious".
  35. "Case 1:23-cv-03048-PAE Document 3 Filed 04/14/23 70 Pages" (PDF). gov.uscourts.nysd. U.S. District Court Southern District of New York. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
  36. Berenson, Alex (2024-11-02). "Why I'm voting for Donald J. Trump". Fox News. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
  37. Boster, Seth (2019-03-19). "Anti-marijuana author to visit Colorado Springs, share findings". The Gazette. Retrieved 2020-04-17.
  38. Rowe, Chip (2014-02-16). "Living the Spy Life". The Highlands Current. Retrieved 2021-09-01.

External links

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