As the global impact of COVID-19 worsens, conservative media are taking their cue from President Donald Trump and finally begin taking the threat of coronavirus seriously. While thoughtful, fact-based reporting is certainly good for society, it cannot be overlooked that right-wing media’s notably reckless efforts over the last few weeks to downplay coronavirus have endangered people’s lives.

Trump’s tone toward the coronavirus pandemic markedly shifted this week, moving away from dismissing the outbreak as another supposed media attempt to destroy his presidency -- with reality perhaps finally becoming undeniable for a president who often relies on constructing an alternative version.

The clear shift in Trump’s narrative put much of conservative media in a difficult position, as Trump’s defenders have spent the last several weeks following his lead by downplaying the impact of coronavirus in order to shield the president from any political blowback. Some right-wing media personalities, such as Fox’s Jesse Watters and Newt Gingrich, have even admitted that they were slow to take the threat of the virus seriously.

As reality forces right-wing media figures to cover COVID-19 honestly, it's important to remember that their reflexive efforts to downplay measures to combat coronavirus as a conspiracy by Democrats and the media to hurt Trump have already done lasting damage and endangered people’s lives. Polls have shown that Democrats are far more likely to take coronavirus seriously than Republicans, and this is partially attributed to the stark difference in signals from various media outlets about the virus.

Here are just some of the most egregious examples of conservative media downplaying the threat of coronavirus over the last several weeks:

Mid-March

On March 15, Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo agreed with Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) when he said that “if you're healthy, you and your family, it's a great time to just go out, go to a local restaurant” -- despite reports that individuals who appear healthy can still carry and pass on the virus.

Conservative talk radio giant Rush Limbaugh complained on March 13 that “we’re shutting down our country” because of “the cold virus, which is what coronaviruses are.”

On the March 13 edition of Fox & Friends, Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. said that it’s “strange” that so many people are “overreacting,” suggesting coronavirus precautions are “political” and likening it to the Mueller investigation. Falwell then suggested that coronavirus could be a bioweapon unleashed by North Korea working with China.

Also on March 13, Fox & Friends co-host Ainsley Earhardt claimed that “it’s actually the safest time to fly.”

The Federalist published a March 11 article claiming that the media's coronavirus “hysteria stokes public panic.”

On the March 11 edition of his radio show, Fox News prime-time host Sean Hannity argued that he isn’t concerned about coronavirus because “we’re all dying.”

The same day, Hannity also advised listeners of his radio show to ignore any advice Democrats or other media outlets give about staying safe during COVID-19, declaring that “everything now has to be viewed through the prism of, oh, this is about the election.

On March 11, Limbaugh said that “coronavirus has been weaponized by the media and by opponents of Donald Trump as the latest weapon they might be able to use to get rid of him or to damage his political standing.” He later claimed that “medical professionals seem to be the least panicked of anybody”, adding “It’s almost as if the media and the left and the Democrats want to inflict damage on our economy.”

Also on the March 11 edition of his radio show, Limbaugh said: “Who cares if it’s 10 times more lethal than the flu,” asking, “Does lethal infect you? Does lethal give you a temperature of 102 versus 100? What does it do to you? It’s a meaningless comparative.”

That same day, Limbaugh further claimed that coronavirus is like the common cold, and “all of this panic is just not warranted.”

On the March 10 his radio show, Limbaugh compared coronavirus to a hurricane, calling it “exaggerated and built-up, lied about before anybody knows its true strength and nature.”

On the March 10 edition of his Fox show, Hannity attempted to minimize coronavirus concerns by comparing it to gun violence statistics in Chicago.

Also on March 10, Fox Nation host Tomi Lahren tried to deflect the threat of coronavirus by complaining about homelessness in California, saying that she is “far more concerned with stepping on a used heroin needle than … getting the coronavirus.”

And on the March 10 edition of Fox News' America’s Newsroom co-anchor Ed Henry noted that Florida’s first coronavirus deaths were elderly people who traveled, claiming that “when you hear the context, it is not quite as scary.”

Fox Business host Charles Payne dismissed coronavirus’s impact because “last week, Broadway attendance went up” and “movie receipts were normal.” Payne warned in the March 10 Fox & Friends appearance that “we don’t need to talk ourselves into a recession or let anyone else with ulterior motives talk us into a recession.”

Conservative historian Victor Davis Hanson published an op-ed in The Washington Times on March 11 arguing that “coronavirus' reputation is likely far scarier than its reality.”

Early March

Late February