Hypocritical Media Downplays Wuhan Virus For Weeks, Then Critiques Fox News For Shifting ‘Rhetoric’
March 24, 2020 By Chrissy Clark
Mainstream media outlets, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Vox, have criticized Fox News for allegedly promulgating lies about the severity of the widespread Wuhan virus. But their critiques land with a thud, as these same outlets also played a role in in downplaying the crisis.
On Monday’s edition of “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” host Tucker Carlson showcased the mainstream media’s inability to hold themselves accountable for initially pushing a relaxed narrative about the coronavirus in late January and early February.
“None of these people cared about you. They didn’t care about protecting public health, or sharing accurate information. They cared about being virtuous,” Carlson said. “They put their wokeness about your life as they always do.”
Here are just some examples of the mainstream media claiming the virus was no big deal:
1. Vox: This Isn’t A Deadly Pandemic
In a since deleted tweet Vox tweeted, “is [coronavirus] going to be a deadly pandemic? No.” Vox tweeted this on January 31, two days after the White House announced they were creating a coronavirus task force and would expand their travel ban to China.
2. Washington Post: Coronavirus Isn’t So Scary
In a “perspective” article, retired Harvard professor David Ropeik wrote for the Washington Post how the cognitive biases in our brain make coronavirus seem scarier then it actually is.
The article was published on January 31 and was titled, “How our brains make coronavirus seem scarier than it is.”
3. Washington Post: The Flu Is Worse Than Coronavirus
In an article titled “Get a grippe, America. The flu is a much bigger threat than coronavirus, for now,” published February 1, the Washington Post’s Lenny Bernstein wrote that the flu poses a larger threat to the American public, as coronavirus does not appear to be fatal.
“Clearly, the flu poses the bigger and more pressing peril; a handful of cases of the new respiratory illness have been reported in the United States, none of them fatal or apparently even life-threatening,” Bernstein wrote.
4. Washington Post: Be Wary Of The Racist Government
In another “perspective” article, Wendy Parmet and Michael Sinha wrote that an aggressive government response to coronavirus could be problematic for “marginalized populations.”
Essentially, the authors were arguing against an aggressive government response to the pandemic for fear of “racist” policies.
5. New York Times: Fear Spreads Faster Than Coronavirus
On February 18, the New York Times published an article that claimed fear was spreading faster than the coronavirus in Europe. After 40 cases were confirmed, the New York Times decided to highlight the supposed “stigmatization” that came with having the coronavirus and how it hurt people’s feelings.
Three weeks later, Italy shut down completely and thousands of people died.
6. CNN: Racist Attacks Are More Threatening Than Coronavirus
On February 21, CNN claimed “racist assaults and ignorant attacks against Asians” were spreading faster than the coronavirus itself.
According to CNN’s “experts,” rampant ignorance and misinformation about coronavirus has led to racist and xenophobic attacks against anyone who looks East Asian.
Apparently, the real plague in America isn’t the deadly virus that is shutting down the global economy and killing thousands, it’s actually racism.
