Covering the Coronavirus: Journalism During a Global Crisis with Chris Wallace

GRACE XU: On Tuesday evening, the Georgetown University Institute of Politics and Public Service hosted a virtual forum, “Covering the Coronavirus: Journalism During a Global Crisis,” featuring Fox News Sunday Anchor Chris Wallace. Here are the highlights. 

GU Politics Executive Director Mo Elleithee initiated the conversation by discussing how the COVID-19 crisis has impacted politics and public service, especially the realm of journalism. When asked if he has ever covered anything like the pandemic, Wallace answered firmly in the negative, remarking that “we’ve never had a pandemic like this that hit the United States so directly.” 

Covering the Coronavirus 

At a time when even top health experts are figuring things out as new developments unfold, Wallace asserted, “You have to look to the people who know as much as can be known.” In his own effort to gain insight into the pandemic, Wallace pointed to his recent Fox News interviews with Dr. Anthony Fauci, Bill Gates, and Tom Inglesby, Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. 

When asked about the increasing politicization of news surrounding the coronavirus, Wallace noted that “the story has gotten more political as time has gone on.” Known for his tough interviews with Democrats and Republicans alike, he recounted how speaking with Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi yielded descriptions of “two different worlds.” 

Wallace emphasized that all reporting should ultimately come back to reality and facts: “You cover the story, not the story you’d like to be there.” Especially when faced with such a multidimensional crisis, he acknowledged both the tensions between economic, public health, and human perspectives. He noted the importance of covering all of the different implications of the pandemic. 

Covering Politics Today

Even before the COVID-19 crisis, several studies highlighted that trust in American media was eroding. Wallace was previously quoted saying, “I think the President is engaged in the most direct assault on our free press in our history.” 

Alluding to President Trump’s recent Twitter attacks against him, Wallace explained that the atmosphere of distrust and mistrust of news organizations has made it more difficult for reporters to do their jobs. However, he admitted that the President was correct in pointing out the “liberal slant” in media networks and added that Fox News itself has a conservative slant. 

For Wallace, the deeper problem lies in media personnel “[using] the President’s attacks as an excuse to attack back,” which subsequently breaks down the levels of objectivity in reporting. Although many of President Trump’s actions make him uncomfortable, he not only explained that there are key differences between challenging and arguing, between advocacy and being an adversary. Yet, he also described how “some reporters become so bent on beating the President that they…undercut their own credibility.”

Credibility in Crisis 

The latter half of the forum consisted of student questions that generally revolved around the topic of news credibility. 

Wallace began by referencing Ezra Klein’s Why We’re Polarized and tackling the central issue of increasing tribalism. Part of the problem, according to Wallace, stems from the inherent inability of news organizations to cover events geographically scattered across the nation, which contributes to a focus on the major stories, such as the recent anti-quarantine protests. 

He then stressed again the importance of being objective and “even-handed.” When he first got his start in journalism a few decades ago, “fairness was the bare minimum.” Today, he believes the line between news and opinion has become much blurrier, and “to the degree that people think news organizations have a stake in the game, it hurts their credibility.” 

When asked if the media and news outlets were responsible for the polarization, Wallace disagreed, arguing that news consumers should also be held accountable. He challenged the audience, “Watch or listen or read some news source that you disagree with…You may not agree with the other side, but at least you know about it.” 

Bringing the conversation back to the coronavirus, Wallace was not surprised by the Trump administration’s attempt to “put the best face on what they’ve done” in response to the pandemic. When watching briefings, he suggests paying attention to the “non-political people,” such as Dr. Fauci and White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Deborah Birx. “They’re absolutely giving it to you straight,” he asserted. 

One of the last questions came from a student asking for Wallace’s own recommendations for sourcing news. He responded that he looks for “news organizations that I know have an editorial process.” The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post made his list.

Wrapping up the discussion, Wallace plugged his new book, Countdown 1945. He praised President Harry Truman’s decision-making during that historical period as a worthy example of leadership during a crisis.

Grace Xu hails from Atlanta, Georgia and is a freshman in the School of Foreign Service studying International Politics.