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Headline Roundup July 17th, 2020

Coverage of Press Secretary's "Science" Remark Fails to Give Full Picture

Summary from the AllSides News Team

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany was the subject of mass media coverage Thursday after a remark she made during a briefing on reopening schools and public safety. McEnany said "science should not stand in the way" of reopening schools, before saying "science is on our side here, and we encourage for localities and states to just simply follow the science" a few moments later. Many left-rated outlets offered only the incomplete quote in their reports, and framed headlines around the assertion that McEnany moved to discredit science. Coverage from right-rated outlets focused on the full quote, often criticizing misleading coverage from left-leaning media and CNN reporter Jim Acosta's viral tweet that only gave a part of McEnany's full statement; the tweet in question was retweeted 44,000 times, and Acosta's follow-up tweet giving the rest of McEnany's quote amassed roughly 800 retweets. Center-rated outlets were split; some sought to provide the full context, others reported only on the first part of the quote. McEnany called on reporters to "be fair".

Featured Coverage of this Story

From the Left
Kayleigh McEnany: ‘Science Should Not Stand in the Way’ of Reopening Schools
Kayleigh McEnany: ‘Science Should Not Stand in the Way’ of Reopening Schools

Daily Beast

News

Asked by a reporter during Thursday’s White House press briefing what the president would say to parents who have kids in schools districts that are planning to go online-only in the fall, Kayleigh McEnany warned against using science to make decisions about the health of students, teachers, and families.

“The president has said unmistakably that he wants schools to open,” the White House press secretary said. “And when he says open, he means open in full, kids been able to attend each and every day at their school. The science...

Open on Daily Beast
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From the Center
McEnany argues science backs White House position on schools
News

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany asserted Thursday that “science is on our side” as she advocated for President Trump’s push to physically reopen schools despite coronavirus concerns.

McEnany also at one point said that the “science should not stand in the way” of schools reopening, a remark she later claimed had been taken out of context by the media.

Trump has vocally advocated for schools to physically reopen over the past week, threatening funding to schools and saying he would put pressure on governors to reopen schools in their...

Open on The Hill
From the Right
Left-Wing Journalists Misleadingly Quote Kayleigh McEnany On Opening Schools, Science
Left-Wing Journalists Misleadingly Quote Kayleigh McEnany On Opening Schools, Science

The Daily Wire

News

Several left-wing reporters misleadingly quoted White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Thursday, falsely asserting that McEnany indicated that the administration’s position on opening schools was that science regarding the COVID-19 pandemic should not be taken into consideration.

The journalists, along with a few left-wing media publications, wrote on Twitter that McEnany said that “science should not stand in the way” of children going back to school.

McEnany’s full remarks are below, with relevant portions appearing in bold:

The president has said unmistakably that he wants schools to open. And...

Open on The Daily Wire
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