WashPo reporter slams daily for opposing Chinese lockdowns
Taylor Lorenz's criticism of the Washington Post's opinion on China's lockdowns has landed the columnist in hot water.
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Taylor Lorenz, a columnist at The Washington Post. (Sara Kenigsberg)
One Washington Post journalist has gone to criticize her daily's reporting on China's handling of the COVID-19 resurge, namely the paper's opposition to the lockdowns in the country.
The daily on Saturday tweeted an article about China's record number of COVID-19 cases, noting how only a minority of Chinese citizens are vaccinated.
"A coronavirus outbreak on the verge of being China's biggest of the pandemic has exposed a critical flaw in Beijing's 'zero covid' strategy: a vast population without natural immunity," the post said.
Lorenz just after seeing the tweet, re-tweeted the report with an openly critical outlook.
"There is no lasting 'natural immunity' to COVID. You can get covid over and over and over again bc there are so many endlessly evolving strains and antibodies wane. Also, choosing not to kill off millions of vulnerable people (as the US is doing) isn't a 'critical flaw'," Lorenz wrote.
There is no lasting “natural immunity” to COVID. You can get covid over and over and over again bc there are so many endlessly evolving strains and antibodies wane. Also, choosing not to kill off millions of vulnerable people (as the US is doing) isn’t a “critical flaw” https://t.co/SFx4qocp8o
— SUBSCRIBE TO MY SUBSTACK (@TaylorLorenz) November 26, 2022
This statement shocked some Twitter users, prompting questions as to why she would defend China amid alleged human rights violations; with others users accusing her of "spreading misinformation."
Later on, Lorenz attempted to clarify her tweet by attempting to praise the daily's reporting.
"Sickening. Washington Post 'journalist' and obsessive Covid maximalist Taylor Lorenz is now full-on defending the Chinese Communist Party's massive human rights violations… just days after civilians burned to death in a locked-down apartment block in Urumqi," Christina Pushaw wrote.
"It is common knowledge at WaPo that Taylor Lorenz uses the paper to settle personal & political scores but they do nothing because the misinformation she spreads creates epic levels of controversy that deliver epic numbers of clicks. WaPo IS #fakenews," stated one user.
China reports rising COVID cases
On November 26, China reported 39,791 new COVID-19 infections, of which 3,709 were symptomatic and 36,082 were asymptomatic, as per the National Health Commission. The day before, China had announced 35,183 new cases a day earlier, with 3,474 symptomatic and 31,709 asymptomatic infections counted separately in China.
There was one new death, compared to none the day before, bringing the overall number of fatalities to 5,233.
Guangzhou, a rich southern city of over 19 million people, recorded a small decline in local cases at 7,412, compared to 7,419 the day before, according to local authorities.
Local cases in Beijing increased 66% to 4,307 instances, up from 2,595 the previous day, according to local government data.
China reported its first death from COVID-19 in 6 months last Sunday, with a rising outbreak despite the strict measures implemented across provinces.
The country has implemented lockdowns, mass testing, and quarantines to fight the spread of the virus at home.
