Journalist who smeared ‘anti-vaxxers’ dies suddenly
Journalist Matt Driscoll died suddenly last Sunday in his home in Tacoma, leaving behind a wife, two daughters, and a special needs son. He was 43.
Driscoll, who served as an opinion editor and columnist for The News Tribune (TNT), described himself on social media as “the Johnny Appleseed of White Guilt” and “the Perez Hilton of Pierce County.” TNT announced Driscoll’s death, saying he “died unexpectedly.” No cause of death has been released.
Tributes for Driscoll have been pouring in, including from Washington Governor Jay Inslee.
“Tacoma still has the Rainiers and the Narrows Bridge, but our City of Destiny has a hole in our hearts at the loss of Matt Driscoll. What a big heart and an insightful pen he gave us. I miss him already,” wrote Inslee in a social media post.
‘Elected leaders often know what’s best’
As a journalist, Driscoll was not shy about expressing his strong opinions. He appeared to have a deep fear of President Donald Trump, whom he called “Orange Evil Incarnate.” He also believed that “[p]olitical insiders and elected leaders often know what’s best.”
It was perhaps the latter belief that led Driscoll to strongly advocate for the COVID-19 vaccine, which was pushed by political elites but rejected by many doctors and scientists, including vaccine experts.
Earlier this year, Driscoll criticized NFL star Aaron Rodgers, who faced backlash and ostracism during the pandemic for refusing the COVID shots. The Green Bay Packers quarterback was forced to wear a yellow wristband at practice and events to mark his vaccination status, ordered to pay a $14,650 fine, forbidden to leave the hotel or eat with his team, confined to solitary workouts, and banned from using the sauna.
“Rogers [sic] ‘repeated popular conspiracy theories about Covid vaccines, cited a number of discredited sources and claimed he was being ‘cancelled’ and ‘censored’ for ‘doing his own research,’” Driscoll tweeted, quoting from a BBC article. “I swear to god: It’s like performance art at this point.”
The journalist also praised Craig Egan, a pro-vaccine “troll” who “specializes in making online life miserable” for those who question vaccines. Driscoll said Egan “deserves credit for relentlessly speaking truth to nonsense.”
In 2021, Driscoll proudly shared photos of an outing with his family to a Tacoma Rainers game. He and his wife showed their vaccination cards to gain entry, while his children underwent rapid testing and remained masked.
