Ex-RNC head reveals why Fox News is suddenly taking the coronavirus pandemic seriously

During an MSNBC panel discussion on the changing tone at Fox News now that coronavirus health crisis has been declared a pandemic, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee suggested that executives at the conservative network may have come to a hard realization.

After "AM Joy" host Joy Reid shared multiple clips of Fox News personalities once mocking the panic the health crisis was creating, only to change their tune as more reports of those infected started breaking, MSNBC contributor Michael Steele said there was a solid reason.

"Based on your experience with dealing with Fox News and what it can bring about, is it possible for Fox News to now turn this ship around and convince these same viewers, many of whom are older people, vulnerable people, that they need to be careful and take precautions?" host Reid asked.

'"I think so," Steele replied. "And I think that you will see that because the reality of it is now that the president has pretty much acknowledged, 'Okay, yeah, this is a problem, and we're going to put the government at work, let's do that,' as we saw from both his press conferences."

'Institutions like Fox and other organs (sic) out there that have, as you showed an earlier clip, were like, 'Oh, this is just Democrats being crazy Democrats,' now realize that they are looking at their numbers and seeing that, 'Oh, wait a minute, our audience is being impacted. The people that we're speaking to are actually being him impacted.,'" he continued. "And it may be touching closer to home for their own families and relationships. So I think that you will see that pivot but it won't be as abrupt a pivot."

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