Thread by @ErrataRob

1/ This tweet is anti-science.

Older people are are more likely to vote for Trump AND to die from COVID. Rural areas have worse health care than cities and are also more likely to vote Trump.

The piece was about "disinformation" and "misinformation".

https://twitter.com/bradheath/status/1467614753883312129

2/ The piece acknowledges this scientific flaw, but instead of reporting the age-adjusted analysis, publishes instead the unadjusted analysis that looks much worse.

3/ It also twists the numbers on the unvaccinated. The source the NPR article cites says 59% of Republican (and Republican leading) claim to have received at least one shot.

In comparison, only 50% of blacks have been vaccinated, according to the same source.

4/ Blaming groups by their vaccination rates is a political act rather than a scientific one.

Here are the links of the above screenshots if you want look more into this.

kff.org/coronavirus-co…
kff.org/coronavirus-co…

5/ The article repeats the trope of famous right-wing vaccine denialist dying from covid. Such anecdotes are anti-science. It validates what right-wingers do, anecdotes of vaccinated people dying from covid ... or vaccines causing problems.

What matters is statistics.

6/ The article is unable to distinguish between statements of opinion and statements of fact. Worrying about government exaggerating numbers is a valid opinion. Whether vaccines contain microchips is a statement of fact.

7/ Yes, yes, believing "it's a vast government conspiracy" is crazy, but that's not what this thread is about. The above tweet is about the inability of "arbiters of truth" being able to distinguish between "statements of fact" and "statements of opinion".

7/ Moreover, the government is provably loose with facts. The current CDC webpage on vaccine "myths" still says viral-vector DNA doesn't enter the nucleus, which is factually false.
cdc.gov/coronavirus/20…

8/ Yes, yes, I'm being a bit unfair to the CDC. It's mostly due to an editing mistake. And it's not important (viral-vector vaccines still don't "alter your DNA"). But it's still evidence the CDC is trying to shape opinion rather than inform.

9/ Covid vaccines are clearly in your personal interest, of course. This thread isn't about the covid, but misinformation. It's not right-wingers spewing misinformation who are to blame, but those who claim to be arbiters of truth doing such a bad job.
npr.org/sections/healt…

10/ This NPR article is clearly designed to stroke the prejudice of its left-leaning audience. What it actually does is serve as proof that the media like NPR cannot be trusted. It doesn't seek to bridge the divide.