The New York Times suggested Tuesday that the term “Wuhan virus” to refer to the coronavirus outbreak is “racist and xenophobic” — after using the term itself in January.
In an article titled “Politicians’ Use of ‘Wuhan Virus’ Starts a Debate Health Experts Wanted to Avoid,” the Times gave credence to Chinese complaints that naming the geographic origin of the illness was racist.
The Times noted: “Attempts to assign blame to a certain place or people in the face of a global health scare have occurred throughout modern history, and it is a phenomenon that public health officials have tried to guard against in recent years.”
However, the Times itself used the term “Wuhan virus” in January, simply to denote the place where the illness originated.
“The Wuhan virus has turned up in Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan, Vietnam and the United States. Investigators in other countries, including Mexico and Saudi Arabia, are evaluating possible cases. Here’s what we know,” a tweet from the Times‘ Twitter account read.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has been particular about referring to coronavirus as “Wuhan virus” to counteract Chinese propaganda. China has been trying to suggest it began elsewhere, including the U.S.
Other viruses, such as Ebola, are named for their places of origin, without fuss.
Last month, New York Times columnist Gail Collins suggested calling the illness “Trumpvirus.”
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He earned an A.B. in Social Studies and Environmental Science and Public Policy from Harvard College, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. He is also the co-author of How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, which is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.