OVERVIEW: FOX NEWS' COVERAGE OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Medically Inaccurate, Malevolently Racist, Motivated by Politics
Fox News’ Coverage of the COVID
-19 Pandemic
Media Matters for America | 1
Executive Summary
As coronavirus became a global health crisis, Fox News has spent weeks putting the health and well-being of millions of viewers and, thanks to the symbiotic relationship between Fox and the White House, the country as a
whole at risk. Here’s how:
Fox’s coverage has had devastating consequences.
Opinion polls show that Fox News viewers are far less likely than others to believe the crisis is serious and to think that the media coverage of it is overblown. Trump, too, has
aligned with Fox’s tone, dragging his feet in addressing the seriousness of t
he outbreak and squandering precious time and resources to mobilize a more effective global response.
Fox News’ Coverage of the COVID
-19 Pandemic
Media Matters for America | 2
Defending and praising President Donald Trump’s response, while attacking
others as a distraction
Since mid-February, Fox News and Fox Business hosts and contributors have cheered
Trump’s handling of the
coronavirus outbreak while trying to distract from the administr
Sycophantic praise of the administ
ration’s handling of coronavirus