When Joe Biden wins an election, it's one of the most important achievements in our country's history. When Tom Brady wins an unprecedented seventh Super Bowl, it's a threat to the health and safety of every American.
As has been the case throughout the course of the pandemic, the level of risk posed by large public gatherings seems to depend almost exclusively on why the public has decided to gather. When it comes to protests, according to the New York Times, "What Experts Say May Depend on Who's Protesting What."
But that was 2020. In the new year, people are finding more reasons to celebrate. And yet the media's judgment continues to vary wildly depending on who is celebrating what.
For example, professional journalists were so concerned about the risk of "superspreader" events surrounding Super Bowl LV that one CNN correspondent went so far as to snitch on fans in Tampa Bay who might have been violating the city's COVID-19 guidelines.
For whatever reason, coverage of the nationwide celebrations of Biden's victory in the 2020 election, which involved large gatherings of people who didn't always adhere to the same safety guidelines, did not convey the same level of concern.