Colin Powell died Monday. He was the first Black U.S. secretary of state. He was the first Black national security adviser. He was a four-star general and the first Black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. His military and political career was both groundbreaking and hugely influential.
All of those things should be remembered and honored.
But in the immediate aftermath of his death, there was controversy about how he died — and how it was being reported. Powell was 84 and his family said he died of complications from COVID-19.
When someone with COVID-19 dies, the first question that pops into most minds is, “Were they vaccinated?”
Yes, Powell was vaccinated. And that’s how many news outlets originally announced his death. As my colleague, Al Tompkins, noted in a column for Poynter: “Why Colin Powell’s death should not be framed as the death of a vaccinated person.”
It must be pointed out that Powell also had multiple myeloma, which compromised his immune system. He had planned on getting a booster, but had not because he was ill.
In a story for USA Today, Jorge L. Ortiz, John Bacon and Celina Tebor wrote, “In reality, Powell’s passing at 84 actually underscores the importance of vaccination against the coronavirus.”
Dr. Robert Murphy, executive director of the Institute for Global Health at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, told USA Today, “I’m afraid people will say the vaccine didn’t help him. But the mortality rate for vaccinated people is 11 times less than unvaccinated. People still die from the disease, especially if you are 84 and have underlying health risks. He is one of the unfortunate ones, but he was very high risk.”
Yet, that didn’t stop Fox News’ John Roberts from tweeting, “The fact that Colin Powell died from a breakthrough COVID infection raises new concerns about how effective vaccines are long-term.”
It was a terribly irresponsible tweet. Roberts must have realized it, too, because after being slammed on social media, he deleted it. He later followed up with several tweets:
I deleted my tweet about the tragic death of Colin Powell because many people interpreted it as anti-vax. It was not. I was excited to get vaccinated, hoping it would help speed a return to ‘normal life’. I also did a PSA on Fox encouraging vaccination for those able …
As we all know, the FDA is now recommending boosters for certain people, and I personally know a number of people who have had breakthrough infections - some of them, quite troubling. Yes, Powell had myeloma, but I was still stunned to hear of his passing from COVID....
..we live in the same town, and we would occasionally run into each at the local sandwich shop. His death is a loss for our community and our country.
I plan to get a booster as soon as possible.
While Roberts’ follow-up tweets were a bit more responsible, we cannot ignore (and he cannot justify) his original tweet. While it might not have technically been “anti-vax,” it absolutely and carelessly implied skepticism in the long-term effectiveness of the vaccine.
Zac Petkanas, a former adviser to both Hillary Clinton and Harry Reid, tweeted, “Gross but not surprising that a Fox ‘News’ reporter is spreading anti-vaxx disinformation. Powell was 84 and had multiple myeloma. Vaccinations bring down the overall amount of COVID circulating in a community to protect those with underlying conditions like Powell.”
Howard Kurtz, who hosts a media show on Fox News, tweeted, “Colin Powell, despite being vaxxed, had a weakened immune system from fighting cancer of the white blood cells. So at 84 he was unable to fight off the complications from a breakthrough infection. Let’s not read anything more into it.”
And most awkward of all, New York City physician Dr. Nicole Saphier said on Fox News while Roberts was on air at the same time, “It’s very upsetting to see people taking Colin Powell’s death and using it as ‘the vaccine didn't work.’ This is a very specific situation. To use someone’s death to try and make a point that really doesn’t carry a lot of weight to it is very frustrating.”
Remembering Powell
There are several good pieces remembering the life and times of Colin Powell, including:
- The New York Times’ Eric Schmitt with “Colin Powell, Who Shaped U.S. National Security, Dies at 84.” Schmitt also wrote, “Powell said that backing the war in Iraq was a ‘blot’ on his record.”
- The Washington Post’s Missy Ryan with “Iraq War role was a stain on Powell’s record — one he openly said he regretted.”
- The Washington Post’s John Wagner and Eugene Scott with “Powell praised by U.S. politicians from both parties as trailblazer, trusted adviser to presidents.”
- Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser and Andrew Murray with “Remembering Colin Powell upon his death: Former President Bush calls him ‘a great public servant.’”
- CNN’s Devan Cole with “Colin Powell, first Black US secretary of state, dies of Covid-19 complications amid cancer battle.”
- Jeff Zeleny, CNN’s chief national affairs correspondent, with “What Colin Powell's surprise endorsement of Barack Obama revealed about his view of America’s future.”
- And there are these comments from Fox News contributor and former George W. Bush press secretary Ari Fleischer: “It was service and it was duty. But he did it with such an uplifting, affable style. A lot of generals, you look at them on TV and they’re rough and tough. Colin Powell could be rough and tough but Colin Powell was a sweetheart. He just had such an uplifting way about everything he did and he treated people with such kindness and respect everywhere he went. And he was just that kind of leader. That type of man that you were just privileged to say I rubbed shoulders with a guy like Colin Powell. I got to know him. He just had that way about him, he made you feel good about yourself because he made you feel good. He touched everybody that way.”
Top editor out at Axel Springer
On Sunday, New York Times media columnist Ben Smith wrote about one of the top editors of Axel Springer, the new owner of Politico. Smith wrote about Julian Reichelt, the editor of Bild — a tabloid owned by Axel Springer — and allegations that Reichelt behaved inappropriately with women at the publication.
On Monday, Smith and the Times’ Melissa Eddy reported that Reichelt has been removed from his duties. They wrote, “The company’s chairman and chief executive, Mathias Dopfner, praised Mr. Reichelt for his leadership but said retaining him had become impossible. He said his replacement, Johannes Boie, would combine ‘journalistic excellence with modern leadership.’”
Journalist Melissa Chan tweeted, “What does it say about German confidence that it took American judgment to bring down Julian Reichelt, and not German media’s own outrage that’s been going on for quite some time. The stuff about Reichelt is mostly not new.”
Facebook’s problems
