CNN's Brian Stelter took to Twitter on Saturday to let his followers know that he has been struggling with the Wuhan coronavirus. According to the left-wing talking head, he spent Friday night in bed, crying about Americans' "pre-pandemic lives."
Last night, I hit a wall. Gutted by the death toll. Disturbed by the govt's shortcomings. Dismayed by political rhetoric that bears no resemblance to reality. Worried about friends who are losing jobs; kids who are missing school; and senior citizens who are living in fear.
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) April 18, 2020
I crawled in bed and cried for our pre-pandemic lives. Tears that had been waiting a month to escape.
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) April 18, 2020
I wanted to share because it feels freeing to do so. Now is not a time for faux-invincibility. Journos are living this, hating this, like everyone else. https://t.co/dIDujZZvQZ
The link to his last tweet goes to his newsletter, where he dives deeper into how he's feeling:
Hey everybody. I missed last night's newsletter deadline for the first time in years. Truth is, I hit a wall. Gutted by the death toll. Disturbed by the government's shortcomings. Dismayed by political rhetoric that bears no resemblance to reality. Worried about friends who are losing their jobs and kids who are missing school and senior citizens who are living in fear. I crawled in bed and cried for our pre-pandemic lives. I think those tears had been waiting a month to escape.
I wanted to share this with you because it feels freeing to do so. Now is not a time for faux-invincibility. Journalists are living this and hating this just like everyone else.
The newsletter also features a number of headlines from around the country, all of which are negative:
Scrolling through the Newseum's gallery of newspaper front pages, the # of headlines about Trump's antics and "reopening" plans are vastly outnumbered by the daily reality of the virus. The front pages serve as a reality check to Trump's unreality. Here's a sampling of Saturday's headlines:
St. Louis Post-Dispatch in MO: "Tensions run high"
Minneapolis Star Tribune in MN: "No letup in cases, deaths"
NY Daily News in NY: "NURSING HOMES RAVAGED"
Atlanta Journal-Constitution in GA: "State data undercounts deaths"
Sioux City Journal in IA: "School year is over"
Chicago Sun Times in IL: "Class dismissed"
Tampa Bay Times in FL: "Business relief a mirage for many"
The Times of Trenton in NJ: Second wave of cases 'a very real concern'
Stelter also highlights other negative media coverage, like journalists being laid off, Taylor Swift canceling the rest of her 2020 shows, and attacks on Dr. Oz, Dr. Pensky and Dr. Phil for "making absurd comments about coronavirus on Fox News."
In fact, the only positive things he highlighted in his newsletter were Netflix's stocks hitting an all-time high and Michelle Obama partnering with PBS and Penguin Random House to read stories to children.
If Stelter is feeling so overwhelmed by what's happening with the Wuhan coronavirus, there are quite a few things he could do to feel better:
1) How about highlighting some of the positive stories that have come out of this pandemic? Instead of constantly talking about the doom and gloom, why not talk to people who survived and overcame this virus? What about highlighting communities coming together to support one another?
2) Instead of constantly attacking President Trump for "being a racist" or "not doing enough," why not highlight the positive things that are happening? Businesses across the nation have stepped up to help create personal protective equipment and ventilators. Americans have pulled out their sewing machines and made masks for their local hospitals. Americans are coming together in a way we haven't seen since WWII, but you wouldn't know it by turning on CNN.
It's hard to feel sorry for people like Stelter when he puts himself in his own echo chamber of negativity. Yes, this pandemic has been hard on everyone. Thousands of people have died and that's a tragedy. People have lost their jobs and kids have had to completely revamp their lives, but there is a positive outlook on this. Things aren't nearly as bad as they were projected to be. Millions of people were projected to die, and we aren't even at 100,000. That is a win! Every American life we save is a win.
CNN should try a different approach throughout the remainder of the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic. Instead of sticking with "Orange Man Bad," maybe they should focus on giving Americans hope. If Brian is tired of politics as usual, then he needs to take a look in the mirror and see how he's played into this negativity and spin that is harming so many during these trying times.
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