Journalists slam 'petty, petulant' Marco Rubio for claiming the media 'can't contain their glee' over coronavirus pandemic

From CNN and MSNBC to the New York Times and the Washington Post to Axios, countless journalists in the United States have been working tirelessly to bring accurate, up-to-date information on the coronavirus pandemic to the public. But as Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida sees it, journalists aren’t informing the public — they are celebrating the crisis. And a long list of journalists, in response, have been lambasting the Florida Republican on Twitter for his boneheaded attack.

On Sunday, March 29, Rubio tweeted, “Some in our media can’t contain their glee & delight in reporting that the U.S. has more #CoronaVirus cases than #China Beyond being grotesque, its bad journalism We have NO IDEA how many cases China really has but without any doubt its significantly more than why they admit to.”

Responses on Twitter have been numerous. MSNBC’s Katy Tur reminded Rubio, “We have colleagues who have died” — including longtime employee NBC News employee Larry Edgeworth, who succumbed to the disease earlier this month at the age of 61. And CBS News’ Grace Segers asserted, “CBS News employees literally just found out today that one of our colleagues had died from the virus. Journalists are among the sick and dying, just like thousands of other Americans.”

One of the journalists who has died from coronavirus was CBS News’ Maria Mercader. Tweeting a report on Mercader’s death, Brooke Binkowski, @brooklynmarie, told Rubio, “Tell us more about our “glee,” @marcorubio.”

MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski, who co-hosts “Morning Joe” with Never Trump conservative Joe Scarborough, told Rubio, “@marcorubio since you address ‘us’ the media, I’ll respond by saying back off. We are all doing our best to stop the spread and to keep our families safe. Nothing about this gives us ‘glee.’ You are a sick puppy if you really believe that. Do your job.”

Jose A. Del Real, @jdelreal, angrily tweeted, “No, journalists are not having a fabulous time confronting the ugly truths of this crisis. We’re quarantined too. We’re worried about our parents and spouses. We’re worried about ourselves. We are part of this economy, a vast majority of us middle or working class. C’mon.”

Journalist Maddie McGarvey, @maddiemcgarvey, was equally biting, telling Rubio, “So much glee and delight covering coronavirus — not knowing if I’m going to get sick on the job, unknowingly get someone else sick, and constantly worrying about my friends and family! Just can’t contain it.”

The New York Times’ Michelle Goldberg told Rubio that her colleagues are hardly celebrating something they know could kill them.

“Journalists are concentrated in cities that are being ravaged by a plague that could have been better contained with a competent president,” Goldberg tweeted. “They're lonely and scared and reporting while homeschooling their kids. No one feels glee or delight. Some of us feel white hot rage.”