Since Trump watches Fox, no wonder he was slow out of the starting blocks, from Vox:
After Hurricane Maria caused a massive crisis in Puerto Rico, a Morning Consult poll found that almost half of Americans don’t know that Puerto Ricans are US citizens. The poll also found that people who did not know they were citizens were far less likely to support government aid for the island.
This meant that news media, perhaps more than ever, had a moral imperative to cover the story diligently and empathetically. That didn’t happen. A scathing analysis by FiveThirtyEight’s Dhrumil Mehta found that we in the media have covered this story far less than the previous two hurricanes that hit Texas and Florida.
But even with the dismal levels of coverage, there’s one particular media outlet that has neglected Puerto Rico more than everyone else — and it happens to be the most-watched cable news outlet in the country.
That is, of course, Fox News.
![[Image: 1.jpg]](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/r-QFbmEhodmjsH5hbPLbiW8CU0E=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/9374163/1.jpg)
And it’s not just the volume of coverage but also the content. Both CNN and MSNBC spent a lot of time talking about the resource shortages in Puerto Rico — the lack of fresh water, food, electricity, and gas. This is the kind of coverage that reiterates that Puerto Ricans are both part of the American tribe and facing a dire situation. It’s the kind of coverage that humanizes a disaster.
But Fox News didn’t dwell on this aspect of the story:
![[Image: allthree.jpg]](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qCLADP8yBQLj_7lmivjkNWALt5o=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/9374083/allthree.jpg)
So what did the network cover in the small amount of time it focused on Puerto Rico?
Well, it was mostly about President Trump — and it was certainly not focused much on his inaction. Rather, it focused on what Trump was doing, like waiving the Jones Act, saying there are “tremendous strides” being made, and, of course tweeting. (Trump criticized San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz when she appeared on TV and desperately asked for more federal assistance.) There was also a brief focus on how the mainstream media is politicizing Puerto Rico.
After Hurricane Maria caused a massive crisis in Puerto Rico, a Morning Consult poll found that almost half of Americans don’t know that Puerto Ricans are US citizens. The poll also found that people who did not know they were citizens were far less likely to support government aid for the island.
This meant that news media, perhaps more than ever, had a moral imperative to cover the story diligently and empathetically. That didn’t happen. A scathing analysis by FiveThirtyEight’s Dhrumil Mehta found that we in the media have covered this story far less than the previous two hurricanes that hit Texas and Florida.
But even with the dismal levels of coverage, there’s one particular media outlet that has neglected Puerto Rico more than everyone else — and it happens to be the most-watched cable news outlet in the country.
That is, of course, Fox News.
And it’s not just the volume of coverage but also the content. Both CNN and MSNBC spent a lot of time talking about the resource shortages in Puerto Rico — the lack of fresh water, food, electricity, and gas. This is the kind of coverage that reiterates that Puerto Ricans are both part of the American tribe and facing a dire situation. It’s the kind of coverage that humanizes a disaster.
But Fox News didn’t dwell on this aspect of the story:
So what did the network cover in the small amount of time it focused on Puerto Rico?
Well, it was mostly about President Trump — and it was certainly not focused much on his inaction. Rather, it focused on what Trump was doing, like waiving the Jones Act, saying there are “tremendous strides” being made, and, of course tweeting. (Trump criticized San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz when she appeared on TV and desperately asked for more federal assistance.) There was also a brief focus on how the mainstream media is politicizing Puerto Rico.