Fawning over Fauci: A look back at the media's praise of the face of U.S. COVID-19 response

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Dr. Fauci montage: Media’s history of defending, praising the COVID-19 expert

Media networks including CNN, MSNBC and CBS hyped Dr. Fauci as a ‘hero’ and gave cushy interviews to president’s chief medical adviser.

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci has been held up as a hero in the eyes of the media, achieving celebrity status throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. That time in the spotlight, at least in a government capacity, seems poised to end in the next two years. 

Fauci said he will step down from the NIAID by the end of Biden’s first term following more than five decades of federal service under seven different presidential administrations, although he has cautioned he is not retiring from medical work.

Throughout the pandemic, Fauci became somewhat of a barometer for the tumultuous political climate that divided the country on how to respond to the virus. A ubiquitous presence in the media throughout the early throes of the pandemic, he has been criticized for appearing to flip-flop and move the goalposts on pandemic guidance, as well as for his defensive posture on questions about the NIAID's potential role in the Wuhan lab-leak theory of the virus' origins.

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National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Dr. Anthony Fauci. (Getty Images)

Outlets such as MSNBC, CNN, ABC, and CBS fawned over Fauci, oftentimes offering him cushy interviews that praised his response to the pandemic, and gushed over his contributions to science. Sometimes he was elevated to the status of hero by prominent media figures, such as CNN's Wolf Blitzer or the co-hosts of ABC's "The View." 

During an April 8 installment of "The View," Joy Behar said that she believed there were "very few heroes" of the COVID-19 pandemic, to which Sunny Hostin chimed in that she believes Fauci should be considered one. 

"Fauci, we at least can follow him," Behar agreed. "He changes things, but that’s science, you know?"

It's a title Fauci has said he doesn't want, though he has been profiled numerous times, was the subject of a highly flattering National Geographic documentary, and even appeared on the July 2020 cover of InStyle lounging by a pool. 

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FILE - Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021.  (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)  (AP)

Some liberal anchors received criticism for their adoration of the infectious disease expert during the era of COVID. 

In December, MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace was slammed for declaring herself a "Fauci groupie," boasting of ways that she has committed to public health measures. 

"I'm thrice-vaccinated, mask adherent. I buy KN95 masks by the, you know, caseload. They're in every pocket. I wear them everywhere except when I sit down," she told a panel of guests. 

Wallace previously praised Fauci in June 2021 after the leaking of his emails showed his personal beliefs didn't match guidance being given to Americans regarding the pandemic, and was repeatedly warned about the possibility of the lab-leak theory that he publicly called far-fetched at the time.

"The true mark of someone is if they look good, even when their personal emails come out. So you passed the test that very few of us would pass," Wallace told him.

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During an appearance last year on "Morning Joe," left-wing NBC national affairs analyst John Heilemann suggested, while defending Fauci that Republicans are intentionally trying to keep COVID-19 around. 

"…If people follow Fauci, there’s a likelier chance that COVID while go away," Heilemann said. "And if COVID goes away it’s bad right now for Republicans. It’s just the math on this—the political math is not hard to figure out."

Numerous liberal news anchors also echoed each other when they closed their interviews with Fauci, complimenting his wisdom and advice over the past few years, and urging him to return to their shows. 

"Whenever you can be here it’s—we’ll have you. It’s always an honor to have time with you," Rachel Maddow told Fauci during a January 2021 segment. 

"Thank you for all your guidance this past year," CBS’s Norah O’Donnell once said to Fauci to close her show. 

During a separate appearance with him, NBC News’ Chuck Todd told Fauci that if information is "good enough" for Fauci, it’s also good enough for him and his family. 

MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle similarly showered Fauci with praise, proclaiming that he makes Americans "smarter, safer, and better every day."

The praise showered on Fauci by purportedly non-partisan journalists irked CNN's Mary Katharine Ham; the conservative commentator earlier this year said "Fauci is a very powerful public official who deserves, and rarely gets, tough questioning in almost any realm."

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Fauci has signaled over the past few months that any efforts to eradicate coronavirus entirely would be a fool's errand. During an appearance last week on MSNBC, Fauci admitted it is a "hard sell" these days to get people boosted and to mask up. 

Another interview saw Fauci admit that COVID-19 vaccines do not protect "overly well" against infection from the virus, although he praised their abilities to protect adherents from severe virus outcomes – Fauci himself contracted COVID-19 this year but had mild symptoms in spite of his advanced age.

Fox News’ Cortney O'Brien contributed to this report.