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Media Bias and Hysteria is Absolutely Real

By January 9, 2021Commentary

Lest you think the media isn’t determined to create as much hysteria as it can and turn a blind eye to developments in one state while praising another, even though the outcomes are the same, look at this chart, courtesy Twitter.   (Twitter Link)    California and Florida are one obvious example of this dynamic at work, but any state that dares to not unduly restrict the freedom of its citizens gets pilloried, while other states with extreme lockdowns get lauded, notwithstanding the exact same outcomes.  Iowa got beat up, New Mexico got singled as a paragon of epidemic virtue.  You can see the extreme difference in outcomes, right?

Join the discussion 6 Comments

  • Bebe Rebozo says:

    It’s very simple. Every topic is now political. The mainstream media is biased to the left, which means whatever blue states do is good and whatever red states do is bad.

  • Dan Smith says:

    James Taranto had a caption for these kinds of stories: Two papers in one!

  • Chuck says:

    While I agree with the premise and have observed ridiculous bias from most media sources, the dates shown for these articles don’t make sense.

    • Kevin Roche says:

      the articles were just illustrative of the general media tone toward the state throughout, not tied to particular dates of epidemic events. What is important is how similar the curves are despite very different epidemic approaches.

  • Ganderson says:

    It might just be the shows I watch- World Junior hockey, UMASS hockey and the Murdoch Mysteries, mostly, but I’ve noticed a huge increase in both PSAs and regular commercials telling us to “mask up” social distance, blah blah blah. And weepy radio ads about “ we’re (nurses) on the front lines, we know how bad this is.” I see MN governor T-Bone has slightly loosened the noose- here in MA Charlie Parker has just added another two weeks to our restrictions, presumably to flatten the curve yet again. The goalposts are now about 20 miles outside the stadium. Oh, and a big increase in the reports of the “new mutation” , which will be good for another six months of lockdowns. The other thing that amuses me (not really amused, but rather infuriated) is that my school, where thankfully I don’t go every day anymore due to being retired) is the school sends out an all school email every time someone tests positive, thus ensuring a permanent state of panic.
    Hockey rinks are mostly still closed- my group hasn’t played since early April. Hockey East is playing to empty arenas, and the Ivy League ECAC schools have cancelled their seasons. One thing that strikes me as really odd- listening to the Gopher-Wisconsin game yesterday I noticed the play by play announcer and color guy were calling the game from a studio back in the Twin Cities. The same thing with the World Juniors- games were in Calgary and the announcers were back in New Jersey. Am I wrong, or isn’t this idiocy taken to the highest point possible? Even if the ‘Rona is the black death, which I doubt any of us believe it is, how is having two guys in a 18,000 seat arena going to contribute to the spread. And, while taking the dog for her 3 mile walk yesterday, ( she loves the lockdowns!) I encountered zero people who weren’t masked up- OUTSIDE. Sheesh.

  • August Landmesser says:

    Yes, I can see the difference. Iowa significantly outperformed NM with both a lower peak and less area below the curve.

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