Inside the Beltway: Coronavirus coverage continues to be a media fright fest

NEWS AND OPINION:

President Trump continues to be a steady public presence in the midst of coronavirus, appearing alongside medical experts, the nation’s leading manufacturers, law enforcement personnel and others. As is mentioned time and again, the news media has not been kind to Mr. Trump and his administration over these many weeks, using his daily responses to the challenge as a vehicle for criticism, mockery — or to suggest that the president is alarming the public.

Frightening them? Uh, no. This is not the case.

“Trump’s not scaring people about the coronavirus. The media are,” writes Eddie Scarry, a columnist for The Washington Examiner.

“I understand critical reporting, but if anyone is guilty of scaring the public, it’s the national media. They have reported on this pandemic and the administration’s response to it as though it were something out of the Book of Revelations. Every single death is characterized as an avoidable tragedy — something that we should have been able to stop if not for an inept president,” Mr. Scarry said.

“We can take for granted that the spread of a deadly new virus is a bad thing. But it’s kind of useless to ask the president if he “frightened” people or if he’s giving the public a “false sense of hope” in being too optimistic or pessimistic about certain medicines or quarantine measures,” he continues.

“Reporters can keep people in a panic as long as they want. But their worthless nagging about the administration’s response to a health scare nobody yet completely understands is just that — worthless,” Mr. Scarry concludes.

TRUMP CAMPAIGN IN HIGH GEAR

Some things continue despite coronavirus. President Trump’s reelection campaign is attracting a diverse pool of voters who are dedicated fans. SO far, the campaign has formed a dozen separate interest coalitions for women, Hispanics, blacks, pro-life advocates, military vets, evangelicals, workers, Irish-Americans, Greek Americans, “cops” and even disgruntled Democrats. The campaign now has added a 12th interest group: “American Sheriffs for Trump”.

“Co-chaired by Sheriff Bunny Welsh of Pennsylvania and Sheriff Thomas Hodgson of Massachusetts, this coalition will aim to unite and mobilize sheriffs and all law enforcement officers across the country to help re-elect President Trump,” the campaign said.

“President Trump understands how crucial our law enforcement officers are to the safety and wellbeing of this country and has made it a priority to honor, cherish, and support our men and women in blue,” says Ms. Welsh. “Unlike those on the radical left who blatantly attack, accuse and demonize law enforcement officials, President Trump has and will always work to ensure these heroes are supported and honored for their selfless service.”

THE PARTIES GET BUSY

As the Trump campaign forges ahead, so too does the Republican National Committee. It is now wooing multiple demographics via a half dozen interest groups bearing these titles: GOP Hispanics, Black Republican Activists, Asian Pacific Americans, GOP Faith, Young Leaders and Veterans & Military Families.

Ever mindful of the competition, the Democratic Party has organized 16 separate demographic groups dedicated to similar callings — including “Democrats abroad,” disabled voters, union members, the LGBTQ community, American Indians, rural Americans and students, among others.

FAITH GETS MUSCULAR

The majority of Americans are now praying for an end to the spread of the coronavirus, even those who have overlooked their faith.

“The virus has impacted Americans’ religious behaviors. More than half of all U.S. adults (55%) say they have prayed for an end to the spread of coronavirus. Large majorities of Americans who pray daily (86%) and of U.S. Christians (73%) have taken to prayer during the outbreak — but so have some who say they seldom or never pray and people who say they do not belong to any religion (15% and 24%, respectively),” reported the Pew Research Center in a wide-ranging survey released Tuesday.

A majority of Democrats — 51% — say their personal life has changed in a major way, compared with 38% of Republicans.

“Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say they are comfortable continuing with regular activities. Republicans are significantly more likely than Democrats to say they are comfortable going to a grocery store and visiting friends and are far more likely than Democrats to say they are comfortable eating in a restaurant,” the pollster noted.

“Roughly seven-in-10 Republicans (69%) say they are comfortable visiting with a close friend or family member at their home, while 31% say they would be uncomfortable. Democrats are more divided: 55% say they would be comfortable doing this while 45% say they would not.”

The Pew Research Center survey of 11,537 U.S. adults was conducted March 19-24.

FOXIFIED

Fox News completed the first quarter of 2020 with the largest audience in network history throughout the day and primetime hours, according to Nielsen Media Research. As it has done for over 18 years, Fox News has bested its news rivals during that three-month period with an average 3.4 million viewers during primetime, compared to 1.9 million for MSNBC and 1.4 million for CNN. Primetime host Sean Hannity remains the ratings king, drawing 4.2 million viewers.

Non-news rivals were also trounced. Fox News was also the most-watched network in the entire cable realm during the day and prime time, now marking 15 consecutive quarters — that’s 45 months — in the top spot, also marking 49% growth in total day and 45% in prime time in the last year — the biggest gain of any cable news network.

POLL DU JOUR

77% of U.S. investors remain optimistic about the long-term economic outlook.

70% are concerned about the coronavirus pandemic.

59% are pessimistic about the short-term economic outlook.

58% don’t plan to adjust their portfolios.

42% plan to wait until stocks fall another 5% to 20% to buy.

34% believe “now” is a good time to buy stocks.

Source: UBS Global Wealth Management survey of 1,000 U.S. investors with $1 million or more in investable assets.

@Kindly follow Jennifer Harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin.