Greg Gutfeld takes note that Media Matters, which claimed 'The Five' didn't take COVID-19 seriously from the start, accused Fox News of 'fearmongering' about it in late January

Doug P. | 10:56 AM on April 04, 2020

A few days ago we told you that somebody from Media Matters accused Fox News’ Greg Gutfeld of lying about “The Five” having covered the coronavirus outbreak back in January.

However, Gutfeld, as they say, had the receipts:

This media matters is deliberately lying He could easily have checked but didn’t. See my pinned tweet now and demand he retract. https://t.co/vq3ay5pMaL

— GregGutfeld (@greggutfeld) March 31, 2020

this was January 28th. what were media hacks who are acting like they're Nostradamus now, saying back then? Zilch. https://t.co/AJpYjsFziV

— GregGutfeld (@greggutfeld) March 22, 2020

As it turns out, Media Matters was aware that the topic of COVID-19 was being discussed on Fox News at the time, except what was being talked about was reported as “fearmongering”:

I'd like to thank Media Matters for verifying that Fox news' The Five was very early in warning about the serious threat of COVID19 pic.twitter.com/gVnDNqGrOa

— Tim Pool (@Timcast) April 3, 2020

Here’s the text:

On January 27, Fox News’ Fox & Friends ran two segments promoting what the network called “a Chinese nurse … blowing the whistle on Twitter” and claimed the coronavirus infection rate is “33 times [higher than] what Chinese officials are reporting.” Co-host Brian Kilmeade, in an interview with Dr. Mehmet Oz, said that the outbreak is “happening in this secretive society where candor is secondary, and we’re seeing clues that this is so much worse.”

On “straight news” program America’s Newsroom, co-anchor Sandra Smith used the unverified video as an example of “growing concern over whether enough is being done to contain the virus.”