Topic: Media Research Center
Like its "news" division CNSNews.com, the Media Research Center proper latched on to President Trump's insistence (for about a week) on labeling the coronavirus the "Chinese virus." And like a local Trump apparatchik, the MRC declared Trump to be perfect in his assessment and attacked or mocking anyone who dared questioned dear leader -- and issued blanket denials that anyone was inspired to commit violence against Asian Americans because of it.
- And faster than you can say “identity politics,” CNN abruptly began to toe the Chinese Communist party line. One CNNer after another began saying that, yes indeed, the phrase “Wuhan Virus” or “Chinese Virus” is….racist.- - Jeffrey Lord, March 14
- [Mark Levin and Michael Pillsbury] discussed how China is intimidating American media outlets, using their loathing of President Trump to now insist that talk of a "Wuhan virus" or a "Chinese virus" is racist. American media outlets want access to China, but China won't allow critical reporters to enter China, or stay if they grow critical. -- Tim Graham, March 16
- We've all witnessed the shocking scenes of racists attacking Asian-Americans, accusing them of responsibility for the coronavirus! Oh, wait: we've seen no such thing. But that didn't stop MSNBC political analyst Karine Jean-Pierre of MoveOn.org from spouting off late Monday afternoon that talking about the coronavirus as "Chinese virus" (as President Trump has) was not only racist, but places Asian-American "lives at risk" for having spoken as such. The horror! -- Mark Finkelstein, March 17
- Trump’s insistence on calling the coronavirus a “Chinese virus” -- which again, it is -- triggered vast swaths of the lefty community, particularly in Hollywood. Remember, saying “Chinese virus” might rub Chinese folks the wrong way. It’s not politically correct and that’s what matters in a global emergency. -- Gabriel Hays, March 18
- During Wednesday’s coronavirus press conference at the White House, ABC’s Cecilia Vega and PBS’s Yamiche Alcindor worked together to claim that President Trump’s use of the term “Chinese virus” was “racist” and “puts Asian Americans at risk.” -- Kyle Drennen, March 18
- [Stephen Colbert] was again torching the President’s coronavirus response and press briefings, particularly blasting Trump for his use of the phrase “Chinese virus.” Colbert called Trump stating the obvious a “very racist term.” -- Gabriel Hays, March 18
- Communist China knew about the coronavirus for months and wasted critical time trying to silence those who tried to warn the world. But broadcast networks ABC and NBC seemed intent to help the Chinese propaganda machine cover up those facts on Wednesday as they insisted President Trump was being “racist” by calling it the “Chinese Virus.” ABC senior White House correspondent Cecilia Vega even insinuated Trump was trying to unfairly shift blame onto the communists. -- Nicholas Fondacaro, March 18
- Dr. Anthony Fauci and the rest of the coronavirus task force were busy dealing with the crisis and it wasn’t their job. They’re not the ones that need to tackle the geopolitical jockeying or play the international game of chess between the U.S. and China right now. That’s the President’s job. Calling it out as the “Chinese Virus” or “Wuhan Virus” cut through the propaganda campaign. -- Nicholas Fondaaro, March 18
- On Thursday, the NBC and CBS morning shows kept pushing the narrative that President Trump’s use of the phrase “Chinese virus” was “racist” and endangering people. NBC even attempted to claim that China “helped” the rest of the world by “delaying” the spread of coronavirus. ... The reporter never bothered to mention the President’s explanation for using the term was about holding China’s authoritarian government accountable for its dishonesty about the initial spread of the virus – not a racial statement.-- Kyle Drennen, March 19
- Thursday’s New York Times again showed the paper’s warped priorities during the global health emergency: “Trump Calls It the ‘Chinese Virus.' Critics Say That’s Racist and Provocative.” (Normal people would say it's factually accurate.) -- Clay Waters, March 19
- On Wednesday's Deadline: White House on MSNBC, fill-in host John Heilemann joined in on the pettiness of some journalists claiming that it is "racist" for President Donald Trump to accurately acknowledge that the coronavirus infections first appeared in China by calling it the "Chinese virus." -- Brad Wilmouth, March 19
- The three instances of Chinese propaganda shown by Telemundo within an 18-hour period are, to wit: That addressing the pandemic by its geographical origin is now racist. ... Telemundo seems intent on mirroring the rest of the liberal media’s “Blame America” coverage of the Wuhan virus, and on asking its audience to accept Chinese propaganda at face value. -- Jorge Bonilla, March 19
- While Americans are suffering as people lose their jobs due to the economic impact of the coronavirus, ABC journalists continue showcasing how they care more about President Trump using politically correct terms than anything else. Just one day after ABC’s White House correspondent Cecilia Vega badgered “racist” Trump during a press conference, Nightlinehost JuJu Chang tied Trump's use of the term “Chinese virus” to an alleged “rise in outbreaks of racism” and violence against Asian-Americans. -- Kristine Marsh, March 20
- The Avengers star lectured the president for referring to the coronavirus as the “Chinese Virus.” Though the pandemic has interrupted life around the globe in part because the Chinese failed to be honest about the outbreak, AND though it’s from CHINA, referring to it as “Chinese virus” is “xenophobic” and makes Trump supporters act “violently and “exclusionary.” ... Second: again, most of the reason that the virus is being referred to as the Chinese virus is because of expediency. The damn thing came from there and most normal folks will colloquially refer to it as so without flipping through the PC handbook to the lengthy chapter on “How to Politely Greet Foreign Viruses Who Knock On Your Door.” -- Gabriel Hays, March 20
- On Joy Reid's MSNBC show today, Asian-American ex-Republican Kurt Bardella claimed that because President Trump uses the—accurate—term "Chinese virus": "People who look like me can't ride the subway without being attacked. They can't go to school without being attacked." ... But there is no evidence that this is widespread, or that many Asians are not riding the subway or going to school out of fear. Moreover, there is no evidence of any attacks being caused by Pres. Trump's use of "Chinese virus." Guess what? Without any help from Pres. Trump, most people know where the disease came from! -- Mark Finkelstein, March 22
- After blaming regrettable (if anecdotal) confrontations with Asian-Americans on a factually accurate label (“Asian-Americans also say the “Chinese virus” label has led to incidents of racial slurs and physical attacks.”), the story ended with a quote from (naturally) an Obama official, Ryan Hass.- - Clay Waters, March 23
- TV journalists have yet to go a day without crying “racist” in the nearly two weeks since President Trump accurately stated that the current coronavirus outbreak originated in China. But although the President’s continued assertions that the virus is “Chinese” or “foreign” have so thoroughly upset the media, most of them are unable to explain what exactly has them so upset about it.-- Bill D'Agostino, March 24
- Hollywood loves using the Coronavirus pandemic as an opportunity to bash the Trump administration's priorities. But what about Hollywood’s priorities? Is it a good time to drag out a bunch of Asian and Asian American actors to continue a petty squabble about the President’s usage of the phrase “Chinese virus,” something he has even dropped in the past week? -- Gabriel Hays, March 25
And just as Hays was seemingly disappointed that Trump backed off on the "Chinese virus" narrative, so did the MRC after that. They're slavishly in lockstep with the president, after all, and they no longer had a narrative to push.
The MRC follows orders well, doesn't it?
Posted by Terry K.
at 9:09 PM EDT
