After joining the rest of the media last week in justifying mass Black Lives Matter protests in the time of coronavirus, on Tuesday, NBC’s Today show finally discovered the blatant double-standard of such demonstrations occurring while businesses and places of worship across the country remain shut down amid the health crisis.
Introducing a segment in the 8:00 a.m. ET hour, co-host Hoda Kotb observed: “For two weeks, protesters have hit the streets to fight for racial equality. But at the same time, some businesses, beaches, and churches have remained closed. So now some are questioning if there’s a double-standard when it comes to social distancing.”
The headline on screen posed: “Distancing Double-Standard?; Protesters Flood Streets as Businesses Remain Shut Down.”
“Health experts don’t condone large gatherings under any format. But some questions this morning about why people can protest in large groups but not pray or sunbathe for that matter,” correspondent Sam Brock noted as he began the report. After noting “Protesters principles on display as a pandemic deepens,” Brock highlighted: “...some are asking leaders to open up everything now that social distancing has already been compromised.”
Talking to California protester Richie Dawson, the reporter wondered: “Do you think if you’re going to have thousands of people on the streets, everything should just be open anyway?” Dawson agreed that everything should reopen at this point: “Yes, most definitely. I mean, you know, I follow the rules and regulations, but I mean, you know, but I still want everything to be open.”
Brock also talked to a Jewish couple in Florida and directly asked: “Does it smack of hypocrisy?” The wife replied: “Absolutely, to the core.” The husband agreed and added: “I go to a synagogue. It’s not the point, I want to have the option to do it, you know? The thing is, they can’t even go to a funeral.”
Wrapping up the report, Brock pointed out “protests also proving potential breeding grounds for COVID” as he cited one example: “Maria Parker is a commissioner in Athens, Georgia, who posted this message on Facebook: ‘I just tested positive for coronavirus.’ She’s not sure if she contracted it before or after a protest.”
In a soundbite, Parker argued: “I went into it knowing that if I got sick, I would deal with that. Because it was more important to bring people together to advocate for a change in our political system.”
During a report last week, Brock excused the protests and claimed that the “virus of hate” in the country “may be more dangerous” than COVID-19.
On Tuesday, ABC’s Good Morning America almost exclusively blamed gradual economic reopening for new coronavirus cases instead of the mass gatherings caused by the nationwide protests, only reinforcing the double-standard acknowledged by the NBC coverage.
One thing missing from the Today show report was any admission that the media played a major role in the pandemic hypocrisy.
Here is a full transcript of the June 9 segment:
8:07 AM ET
HODA KOTB: For two weeks, protesters have hit the streets to fight for racial equality. But at the same time, some businesses, beaches, and churches have remained closed. So now some are questioning if there’s a double-standard when it comes to social distancing. NBC’s Sam Brock is in Miami Beach with more on that. Hey, Sam, good morning.
SAM BROCK: Hoda, good morning. Health experts don’t condone large gatherings under any format. But some questions this morning about why people can protest in large groups but not pray or sunbathe for that matter.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Distancing Double-Standard?; Protesters Flood Streets as Businesses Remain Shut Down]
Another night and another show of outrage on America’s streets. Protesters principles on display as a pandemic deepens.
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI: The racism thing is going to take a long time to address that. And it’s understandable people’s impatience. I’m certainly impatient about it. But I also am concerned about the public health issues.
[PROTESTERS CHANTING]
BROCK: With the pendulum swinging between action and caution, some are asking leaders to open up everything now that social distancing has already been compromised. Where Richie Dawson’s from in southern California, some storefronts still sit idle and the protests are livelier than ever.
BROCK: Do you think if you’re going to have thousands of people on the streets, everything should just be open anyway?
RICHIE DAWSON: Yes, most definitely. I mean, you know, I follow the rules and regulations, but I mean, you know, but I still want everything to be open.
BROCK: Does it smack of hypocrisy?
MRS. MIZRAHI: Absolutely, to the core.
MR. MIZRAHI: Oh, yes.
BROCK: The Mizrahis are in south Florida from New York, a city rocked by COVID and just now...
GOV. ANDREW CUOMO [D-NY]: New York’s back! Let’s go!
BROCK: ...slowly opening transportation, retail, and houses of worship.
MR. MIZRAHI: I go to a synagogue. It’s not the point, I want to have the option to do it, you know? The thing is, they can’t even go to a funeral.
BROCK: Dr. Anthony Fauci says he’s specifically worried about places where people pray.
FAUCI: I would be reluctant right now to do a lot of singing in the church, because we know that if you project outside that you get a much further distance of aerosol and droplets.
[PROTESTERS CHANTING]
BROCK: But protests also proving potential breeding grounds for COVID.
MARIA PARKER [PROTESTER]: Everyone was wearing masks, we were encouraging social distancing over the megaphone.
BROCK: Maria Parker is a commissioner in Athens, Georgia, who posted this message on Facebook: “I just tested positive for coronavirus.” She’s not sure if she contracted it before or after a protest.
PRAKER: I went into it knowing that if I got sick, I would deal with that. Because it was more important to bring people together to advocate for a change in our political system.
BROCK: And all of this as a study comes out this week that shows that U.S. lockdown measures likely prevented 60 million cases of coronavirus. Savannah, Hoda, Craig, back to you.
KOTB: Alright, Sam, thank you.
