Friday, July 17, 2020

Experts Stumbled with Virus


Five Reasons Public Health Experts Have Lost Credibility
From the American Council on Science and Health
July 16, 2020

“Of all the things we have lost this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic – from the people we love to the jobs that put food on the table – one of the more pernicious is the loss of faith and confidence that Americans have in their public health institutions. How did it happen?

“It’s not simply a matter of being wrong. It’s okay to be wrong, especially when confronted by a 
situation in which confusing and contradictory evidence changes on a daily basis. As long as experts admit to being wrong and can explain why, trust can actually increase because the public appreciates transparency.

“A loss of credibility, therefore, happens for other reasons. In the case of coronavirus, we believe there are five reasons: Incompetence, waffling, moving the goalposts, disregarding unintended consequences, and being political.”

                   -- By Alex Berezow, PhD and Josh Bloom 


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