Conservative radio's role in downplaying COVID-19

ProPublica interviews Yotam Ophir, assistant professor of communication, in an article about how some conservative radio hosts have downplayed the threat of coronavirus even after President Donald Trump declared a national emergency. Some hosts complained that aggressive measures to contain the disease were a political ploy to undercut the president, Propublica reports. “When you turn something that is not political, like a disease, into a political question, you remove the legitimacy of trustworthy sources that tell you what to do,” Ophir said. “If everything is measured on how it will affect my favorite politician, then everything becomes a game. This could become really dangerous.”