Coronavirus: Former Fox contributor criticises network's coverage

Former Fox News contributor Julie Roginsky has criticised the network for its coronavirus coverage.

Speaking to Brian Stelter on CNN, Ms Roginsky accused the broadcaster of downplaying the seriousness of the pandemic.

“The Fox News viewership is on average 65 years old. They’re people who are much more susceptible than the average person as a result of their age to the virus, and they’re doing a disservice to their own viewers,” she said.

“That’s the biggest problem of all in this quest to protect the president, in this quest to make it look like the president is doing everything right.”

When asked by Mr Stelter if it was too late for the network to change the way it presents the issue, Ms Roginsky replied: “It’s never too late, I’m glad they are doing that now, but they are not turning it around because the problem is that when you have somebody like Bret Baier, who I have a lot of respect for, and Brit Hume and others tweeting out effectively theories from somebody who’s unqualified to give them.”

Ms Roginsky, a former co-host on the Fox shows Outnumbered and The Five, explained that the network is doing a disservice to their viewers and said she had seen first hand how it has affected their opinions.

“Stop trying to downplay this. This is not a joke. I’ve heard from people on social media, former Fox viewers who are still in touch with me, who for months have said that this is no big deal, this is a Democratic hoax to try to take down the president.

“And instead of saying ‘look, we have to do the right thing by our own audience, our vulnerable-aged audience,’ they continue to equivocate and say, ‘well maybe this is a big deal, but maybe not as big a deal as other people have said. Maybe it’s just political.’ That’s not right. It not right toward their own audience. They need to stop,” she said.

Last week a video was published by the Washington Post, showing how Fox’s coverage has changed over the past two weeks.

Despite repeated attempts to downplay or mock events surrounding Covid-19, on 16 March, Fox News hosts announced they were practising social distancing in the studio.

According to a tracking project hosted by Johns Hopkins University, upwards of 35,345 people have tested positive in the US. The death toll has reached at least 473.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended a two-week ban on gatherings of more than 50 people as part of the battle to contain the spread of the contagion.