Coronavirus in Massachusetts (Harvard, Holland: examination, live, association)

[BostonMike7]

Originally Posted by AtkinsonDan

I was going to suggest the same exact thing but with more emphasis on the social media element.

I point the finger at social media these days. It’s given rise to the “uncredentialed expert” who will make statements/claim conspiracies with no evidence and even contradict known scientific/engineering principles. They can be rather abusive to any who attempts to correct them, so many dont. It just fuels others to spread their BS.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by BostonMike7

I point the finger at social media these days. It’s given rise to the “uncredentialed expert” who will make statements/claim conspiracies with no evidence and even contradict known scientific/engineering principles. They can be rather abusive to any who attempts to correct them, so many dont. It just fuels others to spread their BS.

But digging deeper into it, many had already lost confidence in much of the MSM (for good reasons). It's very hard to earn that trust back once it's lost, or "start subscribing to us so we can rebuild our infrastructure, and maybe "this time we will get it right"". They kind of did it to themselves.

[bostongymjunkie]

Originally Posted by massnative71

But digging deeper into it, many had already lost confidence in much of the MSM (for good reasons). It's very hard to earn that trust back once it's lost, or "start subscribing to us so we can rebuild our infrastructure, and maybe "this time we will get it right"". They kind of did it to themselves.

Exactly. Corporate media tell you what they want you to know; no more, no less.

[BostonMike7]

Right, so with corporate media being a scripted narrative, and social media being an unchecked Wild West, what is one to do?

[bostongymjunkie]

My opinion is rely on non-corporate, as well as some foreign outlets and then cross verify. There are also many high quality blogs published by legitimate SME's with more in-depth information based on your specific interests. It's not an easy task by any means.

[Shrewsburried]

Plenty of ‘corporate media’ reports relatively straight and/or strives to maintain fact-based opinions/editorials.

Someone consuming The Hill, CNN, and straight news from the likes of AP, CSM, etc. will have a reasonably centered understanding of macro issues.

Getting into detailed policy or immediate street-level news is a bit of a crapshoot.

[massnative71]

You can look at anything you want, but the takeaway is that all sources must be scrutinized the h@## out of. It involves lots of cross verification, much is available via. press releases, etc. if you know where to look. DOJ reports. Court cases. Whoever has greatest authority on the topic. Covid stuff I try to start with John Hopkins. They had the greatest level of credibility on epidemiology prior to 2020, I have no reason to believe they wouldn't a year later. CSPAN. Local news for local stuff (there it's often easier to sniff out the BS as stuff tends to "get around easier"). And yes over the past few years, I have a growing appreciation for BBC, Guardian, Daily Mail, etc. Like anything they have their ideological slant, but with that they offer a refreshing kind of objectivity that our legacy outlets might have had back in the day.

[bostongymjunkie]

Originally Posted by massnative71

You can look at anything you want, but the takeaway is that all sources must be scrutinized the h@## out of. It involves lots of cross verification, much is available via. press releases, etc. if you know where to look. DOJ reports. Court cases. Whoever has greatest authority on the topic. Covid stuff I try to start with John Hopkins. They had the greatest level of credibility on epidemiology prior to 2020, I have no reason to believe they wouldn't a year later. CSPAN. Local news for local stuff (there it's often easier to sniff out the BS as stuff tends to "get around easier"). And yes over the past few years, I have a growing appreciation for BBC, Guardian, Daily Mail, etc. Like anything they have their ideological slant, but with that they offer a refreshing kind of objectivity that our legacy outlets might have had back in the day.

I agree with pretty much all of this. I would also add LBC ( UK podcast), The Telegraph, Times of India, The Atlantic, RealClearPolitics, Washington Examiner and Spiked (UK). I also enjoy perusing "The National" which is a UAE publication. CSPAN is a great source, especially if you are willing to watch testimony and pressers to completion and hear them in full context. Most people are not that interested and/or do not have the time. But the beauty of video is that you can watch it at your leisure in segments. The ProPublica is a decent investigative blog but definitely skews left.

[bostongymjunkie]

Also, The Lancet has been a great resource for COVID related info. https://www.thelancet.com/

[Shrewsburried]

ProPublica has published some interesting stuff. Some has been rather controversial, such as the Surgeon Scorecard, but they maintained a good amount of transparency on that project which allowed potential flaws to be isolated and critiqued. Left lean, for sure.

I like The Hill for DC happenings. It’s also nice that they clearly identify what is and isn’t an editorial. It supposedly leans right, but I think it’s relatively center in regards to the coverage.