Inside the Beltway: The media’s precarious coverage of China

NEWS AND OPINION:

Media coverage of the coronavirus has been nonstop and dramatic, but not necessarily accurate — not good in such a trying time as this. Nearly 2/3 of Americans — 64% — say they have seen at least some news and information about the coronavirus that seemed “completely made up,” this according to a Pew Research poll.

And what about press coverage of China at this very critical time? It is of note that Defense Secretary Mark Esper has a clear warning about such matters.

“Many countries have turned inward to recover from the pandemic and in the mean time, our strategic competitors are attempting to exploit this crisis to their benefit at the expense of others. While the Chinese Communist Party ramps up its disinformation campaign to try to shift blame and burnish its image, we continue to see aggressive behavior by the People’s Liberation Army in the South China Sea,” Mr. Esper said on Wednesday.

The media, meanwhile, appears to be rather easygoing about the nation in question. Joe Concha, media analyst for The Hill, believes the press should not give credence to assorted news reports from China — particularly numbers related to coronavirus deaths.

“Here is the bottom line on any numbers coming out of China. Whether it is Politico or most other news organizations in this country, they should not be reporting this as absolute fact without a disclaimer saying ’we cannot verify this,’” Mr. Concha tells Fox News.

“The fact that our American news media — I don’t want to say is taking the side of China — but they are instead using China to take a shot at President Trump. That’s the same reflex we have seen for the last three years. That is as reckless and irresponsible as anything I can think of,” Mr. Concha said.

Yes, well. Perhaps it is time for some journalists to revisit the old Ronald Reagan adage, which goes like this: “Trust but verify.”

BIDEN’S ’SYSTEMIC PROBLEMS’

The campaign trail is a complicated place for the Democratic Party as presumptive presidential nominee Joseph R. Biden negotiates unexpected twists and turns on the route.

“The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll found that President Trump has a 13 percentage point lead against Biden when it comes to job creation, up from 6 percentage points in mid-April. No surprise. Under Biden, America had the slowest economic recovery since World War II. The same poll also found President Trump ahead of Biden when it comes to who is better at leading America’s coronavirus response,” reports Steve Guest, rapid response director for the Republican National Committee, in a handy summary.

“To make matters worse for the Biden campaign, a Politico/Morning Consult poll found more than a third of voters believe Democrats should ditch Biden as their nominee due to the Tara Reade allegation,” Mr. Guest continues, adding that Mr. Biden’s biggest job right now is to unite his party, rather than battle headlines focused on Ms. Reade’s claim that Mr. Biden sexually assaulted her.

“The bottom line: These are not headlines that the Biden campaign wants to wake up to, and they underscore systemic problems Joe Biden faces as he continues to campaign from his basement,” Mr. Guest concludes.

SEMI-AMAZING HEADLINE OF THE MOMENT

“Wait, Donald Trump’s approval is up again?”

This headline is from Chris Cillizza, CNN’s editor-at-large.

“The narrative seemed set: After a brief surge of public support for President Donald Trump in the early days of America’s fight against the coronavirus, his approval numbers had settled back into the low 40s,” Mr. Cillizza writes. “Right? Right. Except that in Gallup’s latest two-week tracking poll, Trump’s job approval is back to 49% — matching the highest it’s ever been — while his disapproval is at 47%,” Mr. Cillizza notes.

FOR THE LEXICON

“The Great Reset”

This is a timely and handy phrase from Powerline.com analyst Steven Hayward, particularly helpful when considering all the instant changes in socializing, shopping and traveling during the coronavirus pandemic.

“The aftermath of the virus crisis is going to change a lot of things — a process I’m calling ’The Great Reset,’” writes Mr. Hayward.

It fits in very well with “the new normal,” another phrase in popular use to describe pandemic-related change.

INSPIRED BY FOX NEWS

A cultural moment: Steven Curtis Chapman, a Christian singer and songwriter, recently teamed up with country music stars Brad Paisley and Lauren Alaina to create “Together We’ll Get Through This” — a tune dedicated to those struggling during the coronavirus pandemic.

Ms. Chapman reveals an unusual source of inspiration for the new song — an ongoing series of Fox News broadcast features titled “America Together” intended as a positive pushback to public uneasiness and despair.

“This song was inspired in a lot of ways by ’America Together.’ And hearing that word — particularly coming from my television set — it’s not the word we’ve heard a lot in recent months and years,” Mr. Chapman told Fox News anchor Dana Perino.

“It was so refreshing and inspiring to me because it’s what we’re all longing for. It’s what we’re made for — relationships, togetherness. And it just inspired me — it inspired me to write this song,” he explained.

POLL DU JOUR

• 20% of U.S. voters say the Democratic Party “definitely” should select a different presidential nominee than Joe Biden;; 26% of Republicans, 23% of independents and 14% of Democrats agree.

• 16% say the Democrats should “probably” nominate someone else; 19% of Republicans, 17% of independents and 14% of Democrats agree.

• 18% say they should “probably not” select someone else; 16% of Republicans, 19% of independents and 18% of Democrats agree.

• 22% say the Democrats “definitely” should not do so; 13% of Republicans, 15% of independents and 34% of Democrats agree.

• 24% of U.S. voters do not know if they should pick someone else; 26% of Republicans, 27% of independents and 20% of Democrats agree.

Source: A Politico/Morning Consult poll of 1,987 registered U.S. voters conducted May 2-3.

• Kindly follow Jennifer Harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin.