As of lately, I have been keeping up with the news of the coronavirus, as I am sure all of you have been doing as well. What really caught my attention is the news of Trump encouraging the anti-social distancing protests in Colorado, Michigan, North Carolina, Texas, Ohio, and California. He is essentially okaying the spread of the virus by standing with the protesters. This will then extend the time we have to quarantine, and I don’t know about you guys but I do not want to be trapped for any longer! What I found most interesting though is the difference of how The New York Times and Fox News reported this news to the public. There have been many accusations against The New York Times and Fox News for being blatantly biased. In these two articles I found, you can clearly see how these accusations against these news stations are indeed true.
Article number one is from The New York Times, and their article points to a clear disagreement with Trump’s actions (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/17/us/politics/trump-coronavirus-governors.html). The title of their article is Trump Encourages Protest Against Governors Who Have Imposed Virus Restrictions written by Michael D. Shear and Sarah Mervosh. The article states that Trump, “In a series of all-caps tweets,” stood with the protestors in Michigan and Minnesota after Fox News reported their acts of protest. These two authors use language that clearly points to their anger toward Trump “egging on the demonstrators to stoke an angry fervor.” The New York Times authors also used the word “demonize” to explain how the Trump supporters are affecting the Democratic governors of their states. The word choice and overall tone of this article portray clear disagreement with Trump’s decision to stand with the protesters.
The second article is from Fox News (https://www.foxnews.com/us/san-diego-protest-coronavirus-closures-beaches-walking-trails). The title of their article is San Diego-area protest targets coronavirus closures of beaches, walking trails by Bradford Betz. The author incorporates subtle evidence for why the protesters feel the need to protest. They state, “City officials said, ‘Understanding that recreating is important for mental as well as physical health, the city encourages Encinitas residents to run and walk within their neighborhoods but do so safely within the paraments of the current orders.” Betz also included a protestors’ Facebook page, “Free Encinitas” which encourages residents to participate and provides information on where the protest will be. Fox News includes a quote from the same protester which states, “Freedom is essential. It’s not about the fact that it’s a beach or a trail. It’s the fact that they’re closing these things unnecessarily.” This article shows no opposition to the protesters and is taking the position of informing others instead.
The stark differences between these two articles show that the two news outlets have opposing views on politics and Trump’s actions. The New York Times leans toward a more liberal view, whereas Fox News takes conservative standpoints. This partisanship between the two is causing more political divide in America by creating an environment of “choose one side or the other.” How do you all feel about the protesters? Do you agree with their stance and believe these measures are unnecessary or do you disagree with their stance and believe they are part of the problem?