Thread by @dwallacewells

From June, “Why Don’t Americans Trust Public-Health Experts?” (1/x) nymag.com/intelligencer/…

“In January, as the earliest scary research into the outbreak in Wuhan began arriving from China, public-health officials downplayed the threat and systematically advised coronavirus panic be channeled into vigilance about the flu, which they considered a bigger problem.” (2/x)

“In February, as initial data arrived from China showing a dramatic age skew in mortality, with the old at far greater risk, and the very old at greater risk still, political leaders and public-health officials did practically nothing to protect the most vulnerable.” (3/x)

“In March, as evidence about the imperfect-but-still-significant efficacy of masks began rolling in, the WHO continued to advise against them.” (4/x)

“As recently as March 8, Anthony Fauci was advising the same thing on 60 Minutes, presumably to try and head off a possible mask run that would leave health workers undersupplied.” (5/x)

“In April, as it became clearer that outdoor transmission was significantly harder than indoor transmission, public officials across the country nevertheless continued closing parks and beaches.” (6/x)

“All of this guidance was issued in something of the fog of war, of course, and each piece, taken on its own, might seem sensible—the science being new and imperfect and often contradictory, it’s reasonable to try and guide the public toward more caution rather than less.” (7/x)

“But taken together they suggest a perhaps concerning pattern, one familiar to me now from years of writing about climate change and its long-understated risks...”

“Instead of simply presenting the facts experts massaged their messaging in the hope of producing a particular response from the public (and with the faith that they can expertly enough massage it to produce that outcome).” (X/x)