The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA. We are in contact with everyone and all relevant countries. CDC & World Health have been working hard and very smart. Stock Market is starting to look very good to me!
Tweeted by Former U.S. President, Donald Trump, February 24, 2020 (Bump)
Introduction
The media in most, if not all, circumstances is responsible for forming public opinion and controlling the access of information to surrounding nations. The media’s toxic partner, denial, prevents valuable information from being released, more than likely in a desperate attempt to protect economic reputations during pandemics. During the 1900’s, the plague in San Francisco was not only a prominent threat to public health, but to their seemingly solid economy. Government officials, business owners, and of course, the media, fought to contain and abolish plague rumors in fear of an economic downfall; the Coronavirus pandemic displays parallels to this reaction.
The Plague in San Francisco
The plague in San Francisco, also known as the Barbary plague, sparked extreme media denial and conflicting views while aiming to keep the economy intact. During March of 1900, the autopsy of a Chinese male uncovered the bacillus responsible for the bubonic plague (“A Science Odyssey”). To the general population, this would create major health concerns and require immediate action to prevent the spread of an infamously fatal disease; this was not the case in San Francisco. Not only did the Chinese community object to the plague rumors, but the business community did as well. Political and business sectors even blamed the plague on an ‘alien scourge’ that would ultimately destroy tourism and trade (Chase 10).
The newspapers were quick to follow the denial displayed by California’s former governor, Henry Gage. Gage feared economic distress and its immediate collapse if surrounding areas became aware of the threats. Gage insisted that the plague’s existence in San Francisco was nothing but a rumor, and even threatened to pull back funding from researchers at the University of California, Berkeley if studies on the outbreak continued (Horowitz).
Due to the negligence of media coverage on increasing threats in Chinatown, a growing clash between newspapers began to surface. Before the plague even reached San Francisco, during the height of Honolulu’s surge, the San Francisco Examiner published the story, “WHY SAN FRANCISCO IS PLAGUE PROOF” (Chase 12); citizens were adamant it would never arrive. The San Francisco Call, one of the city’s most popular newspapers, released a column on April 8, 1900, titled, “THE PLAGUE SCARE”, claiming that individuals roaming the streets of San Francisco are equally as protected from the plague as they would be in New York or Massachusetts (Riverside Daily Press). Additionally, the Callran similar headlines, stating, “Plague Fake is Part of a Plot to Ravage the Economy” (Horowitz). Contrastingly, the Chico Weekly Enterprise, a newspaper from the surrounding territory of Butte County, California, was not afraid to voice their dismay. A particular column published on June 1, 1900 titled, “San Francisco Press is Roundly Condemned – Seeking to Hide the Truth – For Business Reasons They Would Jeopardize the Health of the City and of the State”, read, “The bubonic plague situation remains the same here, despite what the lying Chronicle and Call say about it. All the principal places of business in Chinatown remain closed. The local papers say nothing whatever about it” (“San Francisco”). Local editors, political figures, and even the citizens of San Francisco themselves resorted to denial of the plague in hopes to keep the economy and tourism unharmed.
The Coronavirus
The Coronavirus outbreak in the United States presents parallels in media denial combined with economic priorities. At the onset of COVID-19 discussion in the U.S., approximately mid-January of 2020, roughly 47% of the media coverage was based on the Coronavirus pandemic in China (Colarossi). By the start of May, a majority of the information shifted to domestic economic consequences and effects (Colarossi). As seen with the plague in San Francisco, it may be assumed that public health would be a consistent prominent topic of discussion, but again, economic factors prevailed.
Fox News anchor, Laura Ingraham, discussed the implications of COVID-19 lockdown procedures on the economy during their live broadcasting. Throughout her report, she said, “And rather than trusting their people, they imposed drastic lockdown measures that had catastrophic economic consequences while doing very little to stop the virus” (Garcia). The media highlights the effects of health and safety measures on the economy rather than the prevention itself.
In comparison to Ingraham, Former U.S. President, Donald J. Trump, has a reputation for downplaying the severity of the virus and highlighting the status of the economy. On June 25, 2020, right after the United States death toll surpassed 120,000, Trump stated, “‘Coronavirus deaths are way down. Mortality rate is one of the lowest in the World. Our Economy is roaring back and will NOT be shut down. “Embers” or flare ups will be put out, as necessary!’” (Doggett). The president of the United States, the individual responsible for addressing national threats and public health/safety, focused his media statements on the economy’s strength over the increasing fatalities; it deemed more significant to cover during his press time.
Conclusion
The denial of Coronavirus’ existence and preventative measures effectiveness evolved from not just newspapers, but into television and social media as well. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and the use of denial by political and business figures in media outlets to preserve the economy has shown to be a reoccurring reaction throughout pandemics and epidemics.
Works Cited
Bump, Philip. “Analysis | A Year after Trump Said Coronavirus Was ‘under Control,’ a Look Back at the First News Stories.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 24 Feb. 2021, Accessed 26 Apr. 2021. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/02/24/year-after-trump-said-coronavirus-was-under-control-look-back-first-news-stories/.
Chase, Marilyn. The Barbary Plague: The Black Death in Victorian San Francisco. Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2004.
Colarossi, Jessica. “Comparing How Media around the World Frames Coronavirus News.” The Brink, Boston University, 25 June 2020, www.bu.edu/articles/2020/comparing-how-media-around-the-world-frames-coronavirus-news/. Accessed 11 Apr. 2021
Doggett, Lloyd. “Timeline of Trump’s Coronavirus Responses.” United States Congressman Lloyd Doggett, U.S. House of Representatives, 6 Apr. 2021, Accessed 2 May 2021. doggett.house.gov/media-center/blog-posts/timeline-trump-s-coronavirus-responses.
Garcia, Victor. “Laura Ingraham on the ‘Real COVID Record’: Media and the Left Are Rewriting History.” Fox News, FOX News Network, 5 Aug. 2020, Accessed 27 Apr. 2021. www.foxnews.com/media/laura-ingraham-blue-states-covid-trump-blame.
“Henry Gage, Governor of California.” Wikipedia, 1903, Accessed 27 Apr. 2021. upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/Henry_Gage.jpg.
Horowitz, Jodie. “Ignoring, Denying, and Downplaying Epidemics: A Brief History.” WOIDMO, World Infectious Disease Monitoring Organization, 25 June 2020, Accessed 27 Apr. 2021. www.woidmo.org/covid-19-in-depth/ignoring-denying-and-downplaying-epidemics-a-brief-history/.
Riverside Daily Press. “THE PLAGUE SCARE” San Francisco Call, Volume 87, Number 139, 8 Apr. 1900. https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SFC19000408.2.56&srpos=1&e=——190-en–20–1–txt-txIN-san+Francisco+plague—-1900—1 Accessed 12 Apr. 2021
“San Francisco Press Is Roundly Condemned, Seeking to Hide the Truth, For Business Reasons They Would Jeopardize the Health of the City and of the State.” Chico Weekly Enterprise, 1 June 1900, Accessed 25 Apr. 2021. cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=CWE19000601.2.27&srpos=2&e=——-en–20–1–txt-txIN-San+Francisco+AND+plague+AND+business——-1.
“A Science Odyssey: People and Discoveries: Bubonic Plague Hits San Francisco.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, Accessed 25 Apr. 2021. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/dm00bu.html
Great article!