Professors, Journalists Call Out Fox News’ Coronavirus Misinformation In Scathing Letter
4 years, 9 months ago

Professors, Journalists Call Out Fox News’ Coronavirus Misinformation In Scathing Letter

Huff Post  

Americans consistently rate the Fox News Channel as one of the most trusted TV channels. But viewers of Fox News, including the president of the United States, have been regularly subjected to misinformation relayed by the network—false statements downplaying the prevalence of COVID-19 and its harms; misleading recommendations of activities that people should undertake to protect themselves and others, including casual recommendations of untested drugs; false assessments of the value of measures urged upon the public by their elected political leadership and public health authorities. As the virus spread across the world, Fox News hosts and guests minimized the dangers, accusing Democrats and the media of inflating the dangers to “bludgeon Trump with this new hoax.” Such commentary encouraged President Trump to trivialize the threat and helped obstruct national, state, and local efforts to limit the coronavirus. According to a YouGov/Economist poll conducted March 15-17, Americans who pay the most attention to Fox News are much less likely than others to say they are worried about the coronavirus. A Pew Research poll found that 79% of Fox News viewers surveyed believed the media had exaggerated the risks of the virus.

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History of this topic

"The stock price is down": The biggest Fox News fails of 2023
1 year ago

"The stock price is down": The biggest Fox News fails of 2023

Salon  

Fox News' brand of journalism is widely regarded as, well, not quite that. Salon has rounded up some of the network's biggest fails of 2023: Putting the company's stock above telling viewers the truth about the 2020 election The depth of Fox News' apparent scheme to simultaneously deceive and appease its audience by peddling 2020 election lies was revealed early …

Fox viewers transformed after watching CNN for 30 days, report finds
2 years, 8 months ago

Fox viewers transformed after watching CNN for 30 days, report finds

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The study titled “The manifold effects of partisan …

Fox News reports Covid-19 is both 'raging out of control' and 'good for society'
3 years ago

Fox News reports Covid-19 is both 'raging out of control' and 'good for society'

Raw Story  

Fox News offered its audience competing views of the pandemic on Tuesday, claiming that the Omicron variant of Covid-19 is both "raging out of control" and "good for society." During Tuesday's Outnumbered program on Fox News, host Kayleigh McEnany slammed President Joe Biden for suggesting that state and local governments should have a larger role in fighting Covid-19. "Now as …

Study: Fox viewers more likely to believe COVID falsehoods
3 years, 1 month ago

Study: Fox viewers more likely to believe COVID falsehoods

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — People who trust Fox News Channel and other media outlets that appeal to conservatives are more likely to believe falsehoods about COVID-19 and vaccines than those who primarily go elsewhere for news, a study has found. “It may be because the people who are self-selecting these organizations believe going in,” said Liz Hamel, vice president and director …

Conservative media offers mixed messages on COVID-19 vaccine
3 years, 5 months ago

Conservative media offers mixed messages on COVID-19 vaccine

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Two recent exchanges in recent days on Fox News Channel’s popular morning show, “Fox …

Progressive pundit launches campaign against Fox News: "Something more needed to be done"
3 years, 5 months ago

Progressive pundit launches campaign against Fox News: "Something more needed to be done"

Salon  

Dean Obeidallah, radio host and regular contributor to Salon, filed a complaint on Tuesday against Fox News for coordinating a "misinformation campaign" around COVID, suggesting that the channel has systematically downplayed coronavirus and sowed doubt around the efficacy of the vaccine. The complaint, first announced in an MSNBC op-ed, alleges that Fox News violated the COVID-19 Consumer Protection Act, a …

Conservative media offers mixed messages on COVID-19 vaccine
3 years, 5 months ago

Conservative media offers mixed messages on COVID-19 vaccine

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — When Dr. Alexa Mieses Malchuk talks to patients about the COVID-19 vaccine, she tries to feel out where they get their information from. Two recent exchanges in recent days on Fox News Channel’s popular morning show, “Fox & Friends,” illustrated the mixed messaging. “That’s a good reason.” Doocy, arguably Fox’s most influential figure arguing in favor of …

Surgeon General Says COVID-19 Misinformation Is An ‘Insidious Threat’ To The U.S.
3 years, 5 months ago

Surgeon General Says COVID-19 Misinformation Is An ‘Insidious Threat’ To The U.S.

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued a stark warning to the nation on Thursday about the ongoing spread of COVID-19 misinformation. He also called out tech companies for failing to rein in anti-vaccination posts that pose an “imminent and insidious threat to our nation’s health.” “Modern technology companies have enabled misinformation to poison our information environment with little …

Biden: Social media ‘killing people’ with COVID misinformation
3 years, 5 months ago

Biden: Social media ‘killing people’ with COVID misinformation

Al Jazeera  

Misinformation about the virus and vaccines has spread on platforms including Facebook and Twitter. President Joe Biden has said that social media companies are “killing people” by failing to police misinformation on their platforms about COVID-19 vaccines. “Misinformation poses an imminent and insidious threat to our nation’s health,” Murthy said during remarks on Thursday at the White House. Lives are …

US steps up fight against COVID-19 misinformation
3 years, 5 months ago

US steps up fight against COVID-19 misinformation

Al Jazeera  

The effort comes as the pace of COVID-19 vaccinations has slowed throughout the US, due in part to false claims. US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy on Thursday called for a national effort to fight misinformation about COVID-19 and vaccines, urging tech companies, health care workers, journalists and everyday Americans to do more to address a problem “that cost us lives”. …

Vivek Murthy, US Surgeon General, warns of dangers of misinformation amid misleading vaccine claims
3 years, 5 months ago

Vivek Murthy, US Surgeon General, warns of dangers of misinformation amid misleading vaccine claims

CNN  

CNN — US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy warned Thursday health misinformation is “a serious threat to public health,” as administration officials grow increasingly concerned about misleading claims about coronavirus vaccines, leading to a confrontation with social media giant Facebook. “All of us have to ask how we can be more accountable and responsible for the information that we share,” …

Fox News Hammered With How Its Vaccine Coverage Will Go Down In History
3 years, 5 months ago

Fox News Hammered With How Its Vaccine Coverage Will Go Down In History

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING CNN “New Day” anchors Brianna Keilar and John Berman hammered home the same point over and over on Wednesday — that 99% of people who are now dying from COVID-19 in the United States are unvaccinated. “Millions of Americans are seeing this nonsensical, nonscientific propaganda instead of this,” said Berman, cutting to a public service announcement from …

More people are reading the news, and have more confidence in what they read
3 years, 6 months ago

More people are reading the news, and have more confidence in what they read

Dutch News  

People in the Netherlands have more confidence in the news they read, and have been consuming more since the start of the coronavirus crisis, according to the Media Commission in a new report, compiled together with the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. The report, based on a survey of over 2,000 people at the beginning of this year, …

Fox News Torpedoed COVID-19 Science Hundreds Of Times Since January, Watchdog Says
3 years, 8 months ago

Fox News Torpedoed COVID-19 Science Hundreds Of Times Since January, Watchdog Says

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING Science surrounding COVID-19 has been undermined by personalities on Fox News some 547 times in the last 13 weeks alone, according to new research conducted by progressive media watchdog group Media Matters for America. Widely watched morning show “Fox & Friends” accounted for 57 instances, “Fox News Primetime” for 44, and Tucker Carlson’s prime-time “Tucker Carlson Tonight” …

Norah O’Donnell: ‘Journalism is more important than ever’
3 years, 11 months ago

Norah O’Donnell: ‘Journalism is more important than ever’

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — Norah O’Donnell has seen a lot during her career, including sexual assault in the military, the Las Vegas mass shooting, and interviews with world leaders. Yet, the CBS Evening News anchor says she’s “never covered a year in my entire journalistic career like this last year.” From the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic and George Floyd protests around …

Opinion: Tucker Carlson’s vaccine rant should be called out by every reputable news organization
4 years ago

Opinion: Tucker Carlson’s vaccine rant should be called out by every reputable news organization

CNN  

Editor’s Note: Joe Lockhart is a CNN political analyst. But we don’t see enough coverage about the media organization that has undeniably played a role in spreading so much disinformation that one study found that Fox News fans consistently practiced fewer preventative measures than CNN viewers. So why is it that we don’t see enough coverage about the dangers of …

News orgs prove Trump’s outlandish claim wrong as they continue spotlighting coronavirus
4 years, 1 month ago

News orgs prove Trump’s outlandish claim wrong as they continue spotlighting coronavirus

CNN  

CNN Business — A version of this article first appeared in the “Reliable Sources” newsletter. Wednesday’s WaPo A1 features a map accompanied by a headline that warns, “Surge shows no sign of easing.” CNN’s homepage is featuring a story with a headline that reads, “Coronavirus hospitalizations in US reach an all-time high with more than 60,000.” And NYT’s homepage focuses …

Fox News' Greg Gutfeld: Trump Got The Coronavirus For America
4 years, 3 months ago

Fox News' Greg Gutfeld: Trump Got The Coronavirus For America

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING In one of the more mystifying reactions to President Donald Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis, Fox News host Greg Gutfeld suggested Friday that the president didn’t protect himself from the disease because “he didn’t want America to hide from the virus.” Gutfeld’s comments came as the White House announced Trump was being transported to Walter Reed National Military Medical …

Dr. Fauci Calls Out Fox News For Misleading Reports About Coronavirus
4 years, 3 months ago

Dr. Fauci Calls Out Fox News For Misleading Reports About Coronavirus

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING Dr. Anthony Fauci on Monday singled out Fox News for what he called its sometimes “outlandish” reporting on COVID-19 at a time when the public needs vital facts about the pandemic. In highlights from the conversation aired on “The Situation Room,” Fauci spoke of misinformation in the media and also discussed concerns relating to President Donald Trump’s …

Debunked COVID story prompts differing responses on Fox News
4 years, 3 months ago

Debunked COVID story prompts differing responses on Fox News

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — Fox News Channel’s Steve Doocy apologized on Monday “for any confusion” in reporting a now-debunked story about the mayor of Nashville, Tennessee, supposedly concealing the number of coronavirus cases linked to bars and restaurants in that city because they were so low. The story came from a Thursday report by Nashville’s Fox affiliate WZTV on “leaked emails” …

Trump says Covid-19 pandemic ‘will probably unfortunately get worse before it gets better’
4 years, 5 months ago

Trump says Covid-19 pandemic ‘will probably unfortunately get worse before it gets better’

CNN  

CNN — President Donald Trump warned the coronavirus pandemic is likely to worsen before improving, during the first outing of his revived daily briefings on Tuesday. “It will probably unfortunately get worse before it gets better,” Trump said – echoing a prediction he made at the start of April of a “rough” two weeks ahead. “Whether you like the mask …

Coronavirus ‘silent spreaders’ become a bigger risk as California reopens
4 years, 7 months ago

Coronavirus ‘silent spreaders’ become a bigger risk as California reopens

LA Times  

The role of “silent spreaders” in transmitting the coronavirus is becoming an even greater issue for health officials as they ease stay-at-home rules and slowly reopen the economy. But if many people who get the virus don’t show symptoms and yet are infectious, the disease could spread invisibly, beyond the reach of county health officials. It’s called “presymptomatic transmission.” There’s …

Jimmy Kimmel Points Out Fox News' Most Obvious Hypocrisy About Coronavirus
4 years, 7 months ago

Jimmy Kimmel Points Out Fox News' Most Obvious Hypocrisy About Coronavirus

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING Jimmy Kimmel slammed Fox News for its on-air echoing of President Donald Trump’s call to reopen the country despite the continuing coronavirus pandemic, while at the same time telling the majority of its staff to continue working from home. Isn’t that something?” Kimmel asked on Tuesday’s broadcast of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” “Fox News, the ones who are …

Social media rampant source of misinformation on COVID-19: Study
4 years, 8 months ago

Social media rampant source of misinformation on COVID-19: Study

India TV News  

Joining the growing body of evidence for social media being the primary source of fake news around coronavirus, a new study has found that people who relied on social media or conservative news outlets in early days of the COVID-19 outbreak were more likely to be misinformed about how to prevent the virus and believe conspiracy theories about it. The …

Coronavirus: 74 journalism professors call Fox News coverage a ‘danger to public health’
4 years, 9 months ago

Coronavirus: 74 journalism professors call Fox News coverage a ‘danger to public health’

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy In an open letter to Fox News heads Rupert Murdoch …

Fox News concerned about “potential legal action” over its misleading coronavirus coverage: report
4 years, 9 months ago

Fox News concerned about “potential legal action” over its misleading coronavirus coverage: report

Salon  

Fox News insiders are concerned that the network could face "potential legal action" from viewers over its misleading coverage of the new coronavirus, according to Vanity Fair's Gabe Sherman, though experts say a "viable claim" against the network is unlikely. Sherman, the author of the Fox News exposé "The Loudest Voice in the Room" who frequently covers the conservative network, …

Murdoch family took serious precautions against coronavirus as Fox News downplayed risk to public
4 years, 9 months ago

Murdoch family took serious precautions against coronavirus as Fox News downplayed risk to public

Salon  

The Murdoch family, which owns Fox News, took precautions against the new coronavirus as the network's hosts downplayed the risk posed by the pandemic on TV. The family abruptly canceled Fox News Chairman Rupert Murdoch's 89th birthday party at his California estate on March 8 "out of concern for the patriarch's health," according to The New York Times' Ben Smith. …

Coronavirus | Centre asks social media firms to remove false news on COVID-19
4 years, 9 months ago

Coronavirus | Centre asks social media firms to remove false news on COVID-19

The Hindu  

Taking cognisance of fake news reports on the Internet, the IT Ministry has asked all social media companies to immediately remove false news spreading misinformation about novel coronavirus from their platform. The Ministry of Electronics and IT issued an advisory on March 20 asking social media companies to inform users about not posting false news that can create panic among …

EU: Russia trying to sow ‘panic’ with coronavirus disinformation
4 years, 9 months ago

EU: Russia trying to sow ‘panic’ with coronavirus disinformation

CNN  

London/Moscow CNN Business — Russian state media and pro-Kremlin outlets are waging a disinformation campaign about the coronavirus pandemic to sow “panic and fear” in the West, EU officials have warned in a report seen by CNN. The report, dated March 16th, said that the campaign is “designed to exacerbate confusion, panic, and fear.” The report outlines how pro-Kremlin media …

Trump’s coronavirus conversion
4 years, 9 months ago

Trump’s coronavirus conversion

CNN  

Editor’s Note: Frida Ghitis, a former CNN producer and correspondent, is a world affairs columnist. CNN — “Beautiful day outside,” President Donald Trump gushed on Sunday from the White House podium. It had taken several weeks, much too long during an epidemic, but the efforts of public health experts, and a stubbornly pessimistic stock market, finally tore apart the President’s …

Fox News opinion stars adjust their tone on virus
4 years, 9 months ago

Fox News opinion stars adjust their tone on virus

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — Fox News Channel’s influential prime-time lineup is starting to reflect the changed realities of the coronavirus outbreak, without embracing old enemies. The sister channel Fox Business Network last Friday shelved a prime-time program hosted by Trish Regan, days after she suggested criticism directed at Trump for his coronavirus response was “yet another attempt to impeach the president.” …

Poll: As Coronavirus Spreads, Fewer Americans See Pandemic As A Real Threat
4 years, 9 months ago

Poll: As Coronavirus Spreads, Fewer Americans See Pandemic As A Real Threat

NPR  

Poll: As Coronavirus Spreads, Fewer Americans See Pandemic As A Real Threat Enlarge this image toggle caption Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images In the face of the coronavirus worsening across the U.S. and reordering the daily life of millions of Americans, fewer people view the pandemic as a real threat, according to a new NPR/PBS …

US officials: Foreign disinformation is stoking virus fears
4 years, 9 months ago

US officials: Foreign disinformation is stoking virus fears

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is alleging that a foreign disinformation campaign is underway aimed at spreading fear in the country amid the coronavirus pandemic, three U.S. officials said Monday. It was unclear if the disinformation effort was related to administration officials’ complaints in recent days that China was spreading misinformation about the U.S. Last week, the Pentagon accused the …

Journalistic challenges in reporting COVID-19
4 years, 9 months ago

Journalistic challenges in reporting COVID-19

The Hindu  

On March 11, the Director-General of the World Health Organization characterised COVID-19 as a pandemic. Tools to evaluate reports The idea of this column is not to praise The Hindu ’s coverage, but to seek feedback on what aspects of its reports worked, what aspects need improvement, and where the paper failed to meet the journalistic standards that I spoke …

Right-Wing Media’s Coronavirus Response: Sycophancy, Racism And Misinformation
4 years, 9 months ago

Right-Wing Media’s Coronavirus Response: Sycophancy, Racism And Misinformation

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING Right-wing media outlets and pundits spent weeks dangerously minimizing the severity of the coronavirus and claiming that accurate reports on the outbreak were part of a liberal conspiracy to defame President Donald Trump. Fox News host Sean Hannity claimed that Trump had been on top of the virus “from day one” and “no president has ever done …

How Fox News misled viewers about the coronavirus
4 years, 9 months ago

How Fox News misled viewers about the coronavirus

CNN  

New York CNN Business — As the coronavirus pandemic gripped the country over the last several weeks, television viewers — especially those supportive of President Donald Trump —- had one place they could go to for some sense of solace: Fox News. “Many in the liberal media using – and I mean using – coronavirus in an attempt to demonize …

Why CNN is calling the novel coronavirus outbreak a pandemic
4 years, 10 months ago

Why CNN is calling the novel coronavirus outbreak a pandemic

CNN  

Editor’s Note: This story originally published on March 9. Some of those countries “have had sustained community transmission of a substantial sort,” said Dr. William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt University professor and longtime adviser to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC says a pandemic is “an epidemic that has spread over several countries or continents, usually affecting …

Sensationalist coronavirus reporting a 'bigger contagion' than the virus itself
4 years, 10 months ago

Sensationalist coronavirus reporting a 'bigger contagion' than the virus itself

ABC  

Irresponsible coverage of the coronavirus crisis is contributing to unnecessary fear and panic, according to a journalism expert, with public overreaction potentially a bigger risk to Australia than the virus itself. Key points: Coronavirus is the "first major disease outbreak to emerge in the era of social media" Irresponsible coverage of the coronavirus is contributing to unnecessary fear and panic, …

Science Says: How risky is that virus? Your mind may mislead
4 years, 10 months ago

Science Says: How risky is that virus? Your mind may mislead

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — Anna Alexander, a property manager in Virginia Beach, Virginia, started the day Monday thinking that she might avoid shaking hands because of the coronavirus outbreak. He explained masks aren’t effective in protecting the general public “but if healthcare providers can’t get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!” The right …

Trump’s misleading coronavirus statements could lead to pandemic killing millions, historian says
4 years, 10 months ago

Trump’s misleading coronavirus statements could lead to pandemic killing millions, historian says

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Writing in the Washington Post, Mr Barry said: …

Fox News hosts accuse Democrats and journalists of ‘weaponizing’ coronavirus to attack Trump
4 years, 10 months ago

Fox News hosts accuse Democrats and journalists of ‘weaponizing’ coronavirus to attack Trump

CNN  

New York CNN Business — Some of President Donald Trump’s most ardent supporters in media have downplayed concerns about the novel coronavirus this week and misled their audiences by telling them that news organizations and members of the Democratic Party are weaponizing fear in a bid to hurt the President’s re-election efforts. On Thursday’s “Fox & Friends,” one of Trump’s …

President Trump seems to know very little about the coronavirus
4 years, 10 months ago

President Trump seems to know very little about the coronavirus

CNN  

CNN — President Donald Trump has lots and lots of thoughts about the novel coronavirus that has crippled China and has been spreading worldwide. In fact, we’re very close to a vaccine.” There’s no available evidence that a vaccine is “close,” in fact, most infectious disease experts say developing a vaccine for the virus is roughly a year away. Sen. …

Novel coronavirus outbreak puts fresh spotlight on media's racism
4 years, 10 months ago

Novel coronavirus outbreak puts fresh spotlight on media's racism

China Daily  

While covering the World Health Organization news briefings in the past days, I was struck by how many times WHO officials have reminded people to refrain from using the novel coronavirus to stigmatize people. For example, a Feb 3 Wall Street Journal column titled "China Is the Real Sick Man of Asia" by Walter Russell Mead, a senior fellow at …

Op-Ed: China’s media censorship is making the coronavirus outbreak even more lethal
4 years, 11 months ago

Op-Ed: China’s media censorship is making the coronavirus outbreak even more lethal

LA Times  

People waiting in a hospital in Wuhan, China, where new evidence suggests that the first human infections occurred in November, if not earlier, rather than in December, as Chinese officials said. As reports of new coronavirus infections soar, it’s becoming clear that Chinese government leaders have been putting their political interests ahead of public health. While Chinese authorities assure domestic …

Coronavirus fake news, false miracle cures spreading all over social media
4 years, 11 months ago

Coronavirus fake news, false miracle cures spreading all over social media

Live Mint  

The new coronavirus roiling financial markets and prompting travel bans is taking on a life of its own on the internet, once again putting U.S.-based social media companies on the defensive about their efforts to curb the spread of false or dangerous information. Posts attributing the coronavirus to Chinese culinary practices have blown up, and a review of a new …

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