Conveying grim milestone: Networks illustrate staggering 250K coronavirus deaths

“CBS Evening News” opted to lead with the news that New York City was suddenly reverting to remote learning while also blending in other COVID-related headlines, including the 250,000 figure, into anchor Norah O’Donnell’s top story overview.

The show opened with a video wall OTS reading “NYC schools shut down” as the banner read “New York City halts in-person learning as U.S. deaths top 250,000.”

As part of her extended intro, O’Donnell mentioned the 250,000 mark specifically as the network switched to a video on video shot of one if its Washington, D.C. walls displaying “250,000+” under the label of “Deaths.”

“CBS This Morning” used a similar graphic Nov. 19, after making an awkward shift from a James Corden joke about presidential turkey pardons to the grim number.

Like its evening counterpart, “This Morning” bundled coverage of the newest statistics with coverage on hospitals being stretched thin, NYC public schools closing and vaccine updates. 

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