15 Times Establishment Media Used ‘Bigoted’ Phrases to Refer to the Coronavirus

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Hannah Knudsen

Democrats have upped their attacks on members of the GOP for using what they consider offensive and “bigoted” terminology to reference the novel coronavirus but have seemingly ignored the several occasions establishment media outlets have used the same phrases.

As concerns over the novel coronavirus continue to unravel, Democrats have been ramping up attacks on individuals whom they claim are using “bigoted” and “racist” phrases to refer to the illness. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), for instance, recently demanded an apology from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who referred to the illness as the “Chinese coronavirus.”

“Bigoted statements which spread misinformation and blame Asians and the Asian American community for #coronavirus make us all less safe. @GOPLeader must delete this tweet and apologize immediately,” she said in a tweet, which was retweeted by prominent progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY):

Other notable progressives blasted what they consider offensive descriptions of the virus, with some, such as Democratic Coalition co-founder Scott Dworkin, calling McCarthy a “racist”:

Even MSNBC’s Chris Hayes needled Rep. Paul Gosar (D-AZ) for referring to the illness as the “Wuhan virus,” calling the descriptor “astoundingly gross”:

The Democrats’ newfound outrage over members of the GOP using what they consider problematic descriptions of the virus ignore the well-documented history of establishment media outlets using the phrases “Chinese Coronavirus,” “Chinese Virus,” “China Coronavirus, the “Wuhan Virus,” and “Wuhan Coronavirus” on several occasions.

CNN:

“Vaccine for new Chinese coronavirus in the works”

“China confirms Wuhan virus can be spread by humans”

The Washington Post:

“First U.S. case of potentially deadly Chinese coronavirus confirmed in Washington state”

“Chinese coronavirus infections, death toll soar as fifth case is confirmed in U.S.”

The Los Angeles Times:

“Chinese coronavirus outbreak has reached U.S. shores, CDC says”

BuzzFeed:

The First Case Of The Chinese Coronavirus Has Hit The US, CDC Reports

Reuters:

“Japan confirms case of new Chinese virus, spread is ‘concerning’”

“With Wuhan virus genetic code in hand, scientists begin work on a vaccine”

CNBC:

“The CDC and Homeland Security begin screening for Chinese Coronavirus at three major US airports as outbreak spreads in Asia”

BBC:

“China coronavirus ‘spreads before symptoms show”

Foreign Policy:

“The Wuhan Virus: How to Stay Safe”

USA Today:

“Something Far Deadlier Than The Wuhan Virus Lurks Near You”

Bloomberg:

“10-Year-Old Boy Raises Fears Wuhan Virus Could Spread Undetected”

NPR:

“Your Questions About Wuhan Coronavirus, Answered”

Business Insider:

“Here are the symptoms of the deadly Wuhan coronavirus and when you should be worried”

McCarthy responded to his critics, providing a handful of screenshots of various news outlets using similar phrases.

“Coronavirus is a China-born disease—made worse by a Communist Party that rejected America’s help to contain it,” he said. “Which is why Dems & media called it “Chinese coronavirus” for weeks”:

Critics also point out that associating viruses with their place of origin is a long-held practice.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the virus a global “pandemic” on Wednesday:

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the organization is “deeply concerned by the alarming levels of spread and severity.”

“We have, therefore, made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic,” Ghebreyesus stated.

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