I think the MSM weighing in and taking a position was exactly the problem. The question of HCQ efficacy would have been solved much faster without it being politicized..

The actual story of HCQ is pretty boring. It was a plausible treatment with a mixed bag of weak evidence for and against efficacy. It is not particularly dangerous.

Trump oversold and lied about the benefits. The MSM lied about the data against and the risks.

In such an environment, it's not surprising people take sides and dig in.