Tipsheet

CNN Gets Roasted for Its Take on Trump's Coronavirus Task Force

Leah Barkoukis
Leah Barkoukis  |  January 31, 2020 7:30 AM

The World Health Organization on Thursday declared coronavirus a global health emergency amid fears of the virus will spread rapidly in countries that are not prepared to manage a large outbreak, but all CNN seemed concerned with is the White House's diversity problem. 

"The main reason is not what is happening in China but what is happening in other countries," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a news conference in Geneva, Switzerland.

"Our greatest concern is the potential for the virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems, and which are ill-prepared to deal with it," Ghebreyesus added.

More than 200 people have died from the virus, which has spread to at least 18 countries, while 9,800 cases have been confirmed, according to The New York Times. 

While Ghebreyesus said the declaration was not aimed at “limiting trade and movement,” the State Department said Americans should avoid travel to China because of the coronavirus threat, issuing a Level 4 warning—the highest alert.

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“Travelers should be prepared for travel restrictions to be put into effect with little or no advance notice,” the State Department said. “Commercial carriers have reduced or suspended routes to and from China.”

The White House established a task force to manage the situation, which “will lead the Administration’s efforts to monitor, contain, and mitigate the spread of the virus, while ensuring that the American people have the most accurate and up-to-date health and travel information,” according to Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham.

Members have been convening daily since Monday and President Trump sent out photos from the meeting he chaired on Wednesday. 

“Just received a briefing on the Coronavirus in China from all of our GREAT agencies, who are also working closely with China,” Trump said on Twitter. “We will continue to monitor the ongoing developments. We have the best experts anywhere in the world, and they are on top of it 24/7!”

Despite the seriousness of the matter at hand, CNN used the photos as an opportunity to criticize the administration over its alleged "diversity" problem, comparing them to images from when former President Obama met with his advisers over the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa.  

But the visuals that have come to define the Trump administration say something else, too. They signal which people in a multi-racial, half-female country Trump values the opinions of: mostly white men who are mirror images of the President himself. (CNN)

The network was mocked for the piece.