Thread by @dgurdasani1

Watched #DontLookUp by @GhostPanther yesterday. It felt very real. Unless we address the distortion of reality by politicians aided by complicit media backed by vested interests, we are never going to be able to deal with any crisis.🧵

What you see presented in the news everyday is distorted. The 'debates' don't reflect global scientific consensus. The short news cycle remains ahistoric and acontextual - full of hopium (can't tell you how many times I've been asked to end on a 'feel good' note).

Govt policies are driven by short-termism, economic interests of lobby groups, and self-interest (corruption and profiteering) - nothing to do with what's needed to protect people, and deal with the problem. And the Telegraph/spectator/express & much of the BBC push to normalise.

The majority of scientists make up a minority of rhetoric on media and social media, because misinformation from fringe groups goes far aided by vested interests - who have preferential access to politicians and a non-independent media.

I don't think all media is like this- but many of the the biggest players are. There are few independent players like the @BylineTimes that are trying to put reality out there, but it's frankly like a drop in an ocean of misinformation.

You'll see scientists/medics/lobby groups who put out certain messages (groups that are fringe) portrayed prominently in the media. Why was Dr. Coatzee from SA who said omicron was 'mild' widely platformed in the media? We heard far less from many others issuing clear warnings.

The 'mild' narrative spread like wildfire, but the nuance that rapid exponential spread would far outstrip any 'mildness' didn't- with many media outlets platforming fringe scientists saying this was 'good news', and people should get infected with omicron to get immunity.

Why are UsForThem, an anti-vax anti-mask group with unclear funding repeatedly platfomed by the Telegraph, by GMB & Radio 4? Why are supporters of the great barrington declaration ('herd immunity via infection') on radio 4 constantly despite having been proven completely wrong.

Why does media dichotomise arguments and create strawmen- arguing for mitigations is being 'pro-lockdown'. Arguing for safer schools is being 'pro-school closure'... These are false dichotomous narratives created and perpetuated by politicians, media & fringe grps of scientists.

Why does the BBC never discuss how to makes schools safer, rather casting doubt on measures like masks shown to be effective in studies all around the world, with millions of children wearing masks to schools every single day. Why does it promote anti-science exceptionalism?

Why do many outlets/scientists engage in zero covid bashing of countries that are still maintaining elimination/suppression & have had massively lower deaths than us. Surely we should be looking at what they're doing rather than bashing them & engaging in xenophobic stereotyping.

Despite the extensive research on long COVID now showing it is a very concerning multi-system disease that occurs even in people with mild illness - why is it almost never mentioned, except to suggest it's 'mild' and psychosomatic (not the scientific consensus at all!)

Why does our media not highlight how exceptional UK policy is and how different our outcomes in the pandemic have been compared to other countries? Why does our media never highlight the real risks to children- never discussed long covid from children.

Never questions the frankly shockingly exceptional policies in the UK with respect to vaccination of children, and the impact this has had (children have died before they could get vaccinated, thousands have long COVID). Why? Shouldn't this be a scandal?

Rather, we see gaslighting of those impacted by realities never portrayed. And attacks to those trying to bring these to the fore. Gag orders on NHS frontline workers. Coordinated attacks on scientists. Hit pieces on scientists in the media.

It's not just an uphill battle. We need to recognise the power gradients here. Scientists individually, or even coordinated cannot fight massive power structures that work as systems to promote vested interests of the few. We simply don't have the resources or the influence.

As a scientist I feel that we can keep screaming into the void, but unless the power structures that control the flow of information are dismantled, we will get nowhere. Given the handling of the pandemic I feel zero hope for the climate crisis.

#DontLookUp isn't about a hypothetical future- it's about a very real present. Just look at the hopium push during the omicron crisis, how it normalised inaction, and the devastating consequences globally. We're living this every single day.