Has the Media Been Partner to a Widespread Mishandling of the Coronavirus?

“Reports about do-not-resuscitate orders being contemplated by hospitals began overwhelming the airwaves until Dr. Deborah Birx directly and publicly disputed these claims.”

When paddle boarders in Malibu are being arrested for ignoring stay-at-home orders, it might be time to reassess our COVID-19 mitigation strategies. In the face of unprecedented media coverage, dire predictions, and daily death counts, it remains difficult to remember how we got here. While every death from the virus is a tragedy, especially to the loved ones of the deceased, it is important to keep everything in perspective. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates—as of April 20th—that COVID-19 has infected 746,000 Americans and is responsible for approximately 39,000 deaths. According to an early April report by the CDC, only three American children have died from the virus. During the 2017-18 influenza season, the flu infected approximately 45 million Americans, killing roughly 61,000, including an estimated 643 children.

The recent shuttering of the American economy due to COVID-19 has shattered retirement savings, bankrupted family businesses, increased the suicide risk and potential for substance abuse, as well as domestic violence. Furthermore, there is a precedent for economic downturns affecting health outcomes. For example, a 2016 study from Harvard University concluded that the financial crisis of 2008 resulted in over 260,000 excess deaths from cancer alone. Before we broaden this self-induced recession, we ought to take a breath. We seem to have lost some perspective. As such, let’s recap the series of events that got us to where we are today.

Ratings for major cable news networks, particularly CNN, skyrocketed by as much as 193% as viewers tuned in for coverage of the unfolding pandemic.

In the beginning stages of this pandemic, mortality estimates of between three and four percent were reported by the World Health Organization (WHO). Reports such as these—along with President Donald Trump’s initially tepid response to the pandemic—created an opportunity for media outlets to not only politicize COVID-19 but also to tap into growing public anxiety. Ratings for major cable news networks, particularly CNN, skyrocketed by as much as 193% as viewers tuned in for coverage of the unfolding pandemic. Models predicting millions of deaths were disseminated by academics aiming to have their work noticed. Politicians all over the world started to outflank each other, each posturing to prove their “leadership” qualities. Public policy was being heavily influenced by the media, and the media, in turn, pointed to these public policy responses as evidence of the legitimacy of their reporting. Contrarian viewpoints were rebuked on television and social media as being naïve and heartless.