60 Minutes is slammed for airing 'dangerous' interview with My Kitchen Rules star Pete Evans - letting him air his vile coronavirus and vaccination conspiracy theories
- Viewers criticised 60 Minutes for interviewing Pete Evans and giving him airtime
- The program shared a teaser clip of him discussing his conspiracy theories
- Evans has grown vocal in his disbelief of scientifically-backed medicine
- He thinks there is a global conspiracy surrounding COVID-19 and 5G network
- Evans seeks to profit from alternative treatments and has no medical training
- He said he was not paid for the segment and doesn't care how he is edited
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
Viewers have slammed 60 Minutes for interviewing Pete Evans and giving airtime to his dangerous anti-vaccination and coronavirus conspiracy theories.
The former My Kitchen Rules judge has grown increasingly vocal about his disbelief of scientifically-backed medicine and attempts to convince his followers of a link between COVID-19 and the rollout of the 5G technology network.
In spite of the potentially dangerous ramifications of giving Evans a platform, 60 Minutes will air an interview with Evans on Sunday night.
In a preview for the segment, Evans admitted to being 'skeptical... and also suspicious'.
'If I disappear or have a weird accident, it wasn't an accident,' he said.
The former My Kitchen Rules judge (pictured with his wife, Nicola Robinson) has grown increasingly vocal about his disbelief of scientifically-backed medicine and attempts to convince his followers of a link between COVID-19 and the rollout of the 5G technology network
While the program doesn't appear to agree with or support his bizarre theories in the short teaser clip, fans said they couldn't 'see an upside' to sharing Evans' opinions.
'This is so irresponsible,' one person wrote in response to the trailer.
'How dare 60 Minutes share dangerous, ignorant viewpoints that absolutely will put people's lives at risk for a few cheap views.'
There are calls for the program to scrap the segment, with some commenters suggesting people could die if they follow Evans' 'nonsense'.
Evans on Thursday claimed he wasn't paid for his time, and only agreed to be featured when he learned 60 Minutes reporter Liz Hayes would be interviewing him.
'I believe her reputation as a journalist is about finding and sharing the truth,' he said, before adding he 'didn't care' how he was edited in the segment.
He revealed his team had also filmed the interview, which went for hours, and that he would release the 'unedited' footage following the segment on Sunday night.
Evans spoke directly to the camera when he said if he has 'an accident' soon, it wouldn't really be an accident, after spouting wild conspiracy theories for weeks
Evans on Thursday claimed he wasn't paid for his time, and only agreed to be featured when he learned 60 Minutes reporter Liz Hayes would be interviewing him
'I have no idea how they will edit it, nor do I care. I invite you to watch and listen to their version and also what was fully recorded from my team,' he said.
The 47-year-old claims he was invited to appear on the program for a special segment titled: 'Why are so many people stepping out of mainstream thinking? Where there was trust, there is now deep distrust.'
Evans recently endorsed US President Donald Trump's threat to use the military against Black Lives Matter protesters following the death of 46-year-old George Floyd.
Mr Floyd died in the custody of four Minneapolis police. Officer Derek Chauvin was charged with his murder after footage of him kneeling on Mr Floyd's throat for almost nine minutes went viral.
The vision sparked outrage across the world and led to riots, which Evans believes are part of a media conspiracy staged by 'the elite' to distract citizens from the coronavirus pandemic.
Fans said they couldn't 'see an upside' to 60 Minutes sharing Evans' opinions. There are calls for the program to scrap the segment before it goes to air
'With the wave of a wand the media diverted your attention from a 'deadly' pandemic to racial riots, and you didn't even stop to notice,' he said in a previous post about the matter.
Meanwhile in the interview, he appeared to justify his beliefs regarding the supposed dangers of vaccinations and medical advice by questioning motives of scientists.
'Science has been bought by vested interests in so many different fields,' he said.
Evans has implied on multiple occasions that vaccinations can cause autism and other conditions in children.
Last month, he appeared on The Kyle and Jackie O Show to peddle a disproved theory linking vaccinations with behavioural changes in children.
Evans, who has no medical training and is seeking to profit from alternative health treatments, said: 'I've met so many mothers and their children and they tell me, "Hey Pete, my boy or girl was a healthy, functioning beautiful child - and they're still a beautiful child - but something happened when they got a shot one day."
Evans (pictured) previously linked vaccinations to autism in children. The condition is actually a developmental disorder that has no scientifically proven links to vaccinations
'And within two hours, 12 hours, 24, 48 hours, that little boy or girl completely changed their behaviour. And certainly changed their nature.'
There is no evidence that vaccines can cause such changes in children.
The chef insists, however, that he is not an 'anti-vaxxer' but 'pro-choice'.
Evans' contract with Channel Seven was torn up earlier this year, and his increasingly erratic posts have sparked concerns from a leading medical practitioner.
Dr Harry Nespolon, the president of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, said last month he feared Evans was 'in trouble' and advised him to book an appointment with his GP.
The chef insisted he was perfectly fine, physically and mentally, all the while urging his followers to 'join the dots' and hinting as a global conspiracy.
'We are waking up, and the elite are afraid,' he recently said.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Network Nine for comment.
Pete Evans sparked further outrage on social media following his endorsement of President Donald Trump's threats to use the military against Black Lives Matter protesters
The celebrity chef, 47, shared a Facebook post stating that the riots across the U.S. in response to the death of George Floyd are part of a media conspiracy staged by 'the elite' to distract citizens from the coronavirus pandemic
60 Minutes slammed for segments in the past
60 Minutes has been criticised in the past for some of the stories they have run.
Here, Daily Mail Australia takes a look at some of the most well known scandals.
Arabella Del Busso Interview, 2020
Just last week, the program reportedly paid Arabella Del Busso, the ex-girlfriend of NRL star Josh Reynolds, $30,000 for a tell-all interview on the disintegration of her relationship.
Del Busso was accused of faking three pregnancies during her relationship with Reynolds, and confessed in the interview to showing him fake ultrasound photographs.
She also accused Reynolds of domestic violence following the break up, and footage of a verbal altercation between the pair was shared online.
All charges against Reynolds were later dropped.
The program also spoke with Reynolds, who revealed he was traumatised over the ordeal.
Kyle Sandilands Interview, 2020
The program was also slammed for suggesting in promotional videos Kyle Sandilands would reveal he has been secretly battling a serious health condition - only for the radio king to say he was joking when the segment went to air.
In a preview for the show, Jackie 'O' Henderson had tears in her eyes as her KIIS FM colleague told her he had been keeping secret a 'diagnosis' for some time.
But Sandilands confirmed his big reveal was actually a wind-up - prompting a furious response from viewers who accused Channel Nine of 'false advertising'.
The stunt drew the ire of former Senator and outspoken commentator Derryn Hinch, who said joking about serious illnesses was no laughing matter.
'Anybody who has ever been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and had to tell loved ones, would not appreciate Kyle Sandilands' "joke" tonight,' he wrote on Twitter.
Sally Faulkner Beirut Rescue Mission, 2016
In April 2016, the 60 Minutes team planned to pay a 'recovery team' $115,000 to kidnap the two children of Australian Sally Faulkner off a street in Beirut, Lebanon.
Ms Faulkner's former partner had taken their children to Lebanon and refused to allow them to return to Australia to be with their mother.
At the time, an Australian court had ruled that Ms Faulkner legally had custody of the children, though laws are different in Lebanon.
Ms Faulkner said she agreed to the 60 Minutes child recovery plan because she was desperate, the Australian Government was no help, and the legal case was bleak.
The team, including journalist Tara Brown, were arrested over the ploy and faced charges of kidnapping, physical assault, hiding information and criminal conspiracy.
Nine negotiated a $500,000 settlement to have kidnapping charges dropped and Ms Faulkner was forced to surrender custody before she could go home.
Cassie Sainsbury Interview, 2017
Back in 2017, following the arrest of 22-year-old Cassie Sainsbury, 60 Minutes secured a sit down interview with her family.
Sainsbury also featured in the interview, though the program denied paying her for her time.
Instead, they did fund a trip to Bogota for Sainsbury's family to visit her in her Colombian prison.
They paid for the accommodation the family stayed in as well as a per diem rate.
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