Fox News has quickly changed from downplaying coronavirus to taking it seriously

The Washington Post

Before President Trump declared an emergency on Friday, Fox News hosts spent weeks calling coronavirus a conspiracy against the White House. "Fox News personalities such as Sean Hannity and Laura In­graham accused the news media of whipping up 'mass hysteria' and being 'panic pushers,'" says The Washington Post's Paul Farhi and Sarah Ellison. "Fox Business host Trish Regan called the alleged media-Democratic alliance 'yet another attempt to impeach the president.'" They add: "In all, it has been a complicated dance for a network whose hosts are among Trump’s most ardent boosters and defenders — an increasingly challenging position to take as the crisis grew in magnitude. Trump, meanwhile, has long looked to Fox News and its personalities for guidance and approval, a dynamic that may have been pivotal this week after host Tucker Carlson reportedly visited with the president in person to urge him to take the coronavirus seriously. Until then, Trump’s allies on Fox News were inclined to take the same stance that the president himself promoted for several weeks — that this coronavirus that had sickened and killed thousands of people in China was no worse a threat than the seasonal flu."

ALSO:

• After weeks of calling coronavirus a Democratic "hoax," Fox News has shifted to praising President Trump's handling of the pandemic
• Fox News' Jesse Watters admits he should've taken coronavirus "seriously"