Dear Marco Rubio: No, journalists are not happy to see U.S. coronavirus cases spike

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio has garnered attention for a number of tweets in recent months — from posts about ‘free reefer’ to misspelling martial law.

His latest: Claiming that there are journalists who ‘can’t contain their glee & delight’ that the U.S. has passed China as having the most confirmed coronavirus cases in the world.

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
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) March 29, 2020

The comment didn’t sit well with many, as you’d imagine.

Journalists live and work in the same communities that are being ravaged by the coronavirus. Lives are being upended, while thousands of local journalists fear they may be laid off as advertising revenue plummets because of the effect the virus is having on our economy.

Meanwhile, some journalists are fighting for their life against COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus — or mourning the loss of a colleague who died from it.

Journalists from all over the country hammered Rubio over the tweet.

Here is a collection of some of the most-shared responses:

I think some outside of media are keenly interested in a narrative of China secretly hiding evidence of mass death, because it would be less painful than facing the truth of why our own country, which we have control over, wasn’t prepared to save Americans’ lives. https://t.co/8S24gJ6RPm
— Matt Pearce 🦅 (@mattdpearce) March 29, 2020

We have colleagues who have died. https://t.co/h36kWayxpQ
— Katy Tur (@KatyTurNBC) March 29, 2020

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. https://t.co/E4GwZu0Jrn
— Grace Segers (@Grace_Segers) March 29, 2020

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.
— Jose A. Del Real (@jdelreal) March 29, 2020

The “media” is not welcoming this pandemic. That’s a stupid & dangerous notion to put out there. Many journalists are risking their health to provide accurate & vital information. Discrediting us means some people may not listen to information that could save their life. 1/2
— Mónica Rhor (@monicarhor) March 29, 2020

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! https://t.co/cXVuQJSNFz
— Maddie McGarvey (@maddiemcgarvey) March 29, 2020

Some “in our media” have literally died. https://t.co/obsUP6jhi4
— Mike Hixenbaugh (@Mike_Hixenbaugh) March 29, 2020

Journalists are concentrated in cities that are being ravaged by a plague that could have been better contained with a competent president. They're lonely and scared and reporting while homeschooling their kids. No one feels glee or delight. Some of us feel white hot rage.
— Michelle Goldberg (@michelleinbklyn) March 29, 2020

We have no idea how many cases we have.

No idea.

But, construct a straw man to blame the “media” https://t.co/hp8e8LOcLe
— Christopher Heath (@CHeathWFTV) March 29, 2020

.@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. https://t.co/I3cXx88ODv
— Mika Brzezinski (@morningmika) March 29, 2020

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Dear Marco Rubio: No, journalists are not happy to see U.S. coronavirus cases spike

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