How Does News Influence Coronavirus?

    Especially in these times, it is extremely important to know where you are getting your information. Many times people will turn on the news channel early in the morning before going to work. While it might be playing in the background, the news that someone hears can still influence their way of thinking. Many news channels, like CNN and Fox, have a way to insert political stances into anything they say.

    CNN has been known to be severely bias to the Democrat party. Lately with the current pandemic, CNN has been keeping a close eye on President Trump to see how he is handling the pandemic. Recently, Trump held a rally, in which few people were practicing social distancing and wearing masks. The CNN grilled him for this obviously and focused on this headline because it shows that he is not taking the pandemic seriously and only wants to gain supporters. 

    The information that CNN has put out about coronavirus has been completely bias and saying that everyone who contracts the virus is at fault for it spreading, but have mentioned little to none on how to combat the disease. CNN also had Dr. Fauci talk about how a quarantine dorm at college universities is the key to success. Many people took that he was another "money-seeking republican" who cared more about reopening universities for financial stability instead of the health of the students.

    On the other side of the spectrum, Fox News is usually seen as a "Republican news station." On the same topic about Trump's recent rally, a Fox News reporter focused on what Trump said about children being unsusceptible to the virus. The reporter focuses on how this was a slight lie but mentions nothing about how people were wearing masks and following guidelines.

    As stated prior, people should be more careful about which new channel they chose to watch. This is why I have neglected to watch any mainstream news channel for information about Covid-19.  Instead, I went straight to the CDC because they are the ones that actually understand the most about the virus and are setting the guidelines. Even on the CDC website, you must be careful about facing biases, so it is best to read articles that strictly give accurate information, such as https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/quarantine.html. 

    Many of the news channels politicalized the pandemic and inflated the numbers of deaths. These channels knew that an enticing headline would get them more viewers, even if the headline was false and inflated. My parents and grandparents would watch these new channels and based everything they about the virus off of what the news was telling them. This would confuse me because it would contradict what I had read about on CDC.