In the kind of interview that the legendarily foul mouthed Paul Dacre would have avoided like the plague during his tenure in the
Daily Mail editor’s chair, his replacement Geordie Greig has asserted “
I want to make the Daily Mail a force for good”. Sadly, on the evidence of today’s front page blast of Coronavirus misinformation, he has not yet succeeded.
Geordie Greig
“
As new curbs in UK loom, experts demand rethink … WORLD’S TOP SCIENTISTS RAGE AGAINST LOCKDOWN” thunders the headline,
going on to tell readers “
Life should be allowed to return to normal for all but the elderly and vulnerable, top scientists insisted yesterday … More than 4,000 doctors and medical experts signed a global declaration stating ‘grace concern’ about the response to Coronavirus”.
So who are these “
top scientists”? Have a guess: “
Oxford University professor Dr Sunetra Gupta was one of three authors”. What a surprise. Wonder when she’ll get that research paper peer reviewed? But do go on. "
Most of the population, they argue, is not at risk of dying if they catch Covid-19 and efforts should be focused on protecting those who are vulnerable, while letting everyone else get on with their lives as normal”. There is more.
What the f*** am I doing here, c***?!?!?
It “
is a rallying cry for top experts and politicians to stop running from the coronavirus and to learn to live with it … 'Those who are not vulnerable should immediately be allowed to resume life as normal,' the scientists say, adding: 'Keeping these [lockdown] measures in place until a vaccine is available will cause irreparable damage, with the underprivileged disproportionately harmed’”. But even the
Mail is hedging its bets.
The online version of the article has been caveatted with “
Concept of herd immunity controversial because there is no proof it will work … It also overlooks complications other than death, such as 'long covid’ … It came the same day that figures showed the number of Britons in hospital with coronavirus soared by 25 per cent in just 24 hours”.
Chart (c) The Guardian
For instance, Cheshire East
now has 124 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, way above the national average of 55; 477 cases in the week to October 3, an increase of 281 over the previous week. Nationally, up to October 6, the 7-day moving average of new cases has risen above 14,500. Add to that the complications that many who have become infected have experienced, and the idea of just letting the virus run riot seems foolhardy.
What the
Mail has done with stories such as the one it has put on today’s front page is the medical equivalent of shouting “
Fire” in a crowded theatre. It’s not making the paper a “
force for good”; rather, it is continuing the scaremongering of the Dacre days when the now-discredited Andrew Wakefield was followed slavishly, and columnists like Melanie “
not just Barking but halfway to Upminster” were allowed to spread misinformation on MMR.
Greig will no doubt plead FREEZE PEACH, but this is just irresponsible, scaremongering nonsense. It the net is cast widely enough, it is possible to find a four-figure number of scientists and academics who believe the climate change is not happening. Papers like the
Mail and its Sunday sister title know this already - they have published them.
By all means publish a wide range of views.
But leave out falsehood and misinformation.
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Zelo Street? You can help this truly independent blog carry on talking truth to power, while retaining its sense of humour, by adding to its Just Giving page at
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In the kind of interview that the legendarily foul mouthed Paul Dacre would have avoided like the plague during his tenure in the Daily Mail editor’s chair,
ReplyDeleteI see what you did there.
How are multi-signed letters organised?
ReplyDeleteWho puts in the time and the money to find these (self-selected?) 4000 signees?
Is the letter put onto a website and academically qualified people invited to sign it?
Is there an equivalent letter arguing the opposite view---that there are benefits to lockdown---available for (self-selected?) experts to sign it?
If there were an equivalent letter it might at least give us a rough indication for us to judge if 4000 is a large/small proportion of the experts?
Perhaps the Daily Mail could put in the time and money to organise an equivalent letter in the interests of fairness?
These herd immunity types make a big play of "Let each do as they will, let the vulnerable shield".
ReplyDeleteThey're incredibly light on plans to maintain segregation between the doggers and the shielders.
Off topic I know. According to Diary of an MP's wife by Sasha Swire, Harry Cole is an ex-boyfriend of Carrie Symonds.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely true, yet Carrie cheated on him with Bozza the Clown!
DeleteHedging their bets today, this piece:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8813795/Covid-19-cause-male-infertility-harming-testicular-cells-produce-sperm-study-claims.html
Need help here from any medical people. This bit:
"Dr Aderka, from the Sheba Medical Center, who carried out the study, claimed that coronavirus could harm the testicles by binding to the ACE2 receptors on their cells.
These receptors, which act as a gateway for the virus to enter cells, are the same as those on the lungs, heart and intestines.
But scientists have previously pointed out that to do this the coronavirus would need to enter the bloodstream, and there's no 'clear mechanism' for it to do this.
Professor Ian Jones, a virologist at the University of Reading, told MailOnline in April that coronaviruses do not generally travel in the blood.
'The main site of virus replication is the respiratory tract,' he said. '(Travel in the bloodstream) has been reported for the virus but it is not generally what coronaviruses do.'"
How on Earth does covid affect the heart, kidneys and vascular system if it doesn't travel in the blood? Have a feeling they're deliberately using an old quote (mentions April) just to muddy the waters.
They still have Mad Mel's pieces online!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/columnists/article-229996/This-baby-suffered-brain-damage-epilepsy-MMR-jab-So-did-doctors-ignore-warnings-unsafe-mmr-THE-TRUTH.html
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/columnists/article-229995/ARE-WE-FACING-AN-AUTISM-EPIDEMIC.html
Is funny how Mel morphed into an 'expert' on vaccines, much like Peter Hitchens these days is an 'expert' on infectious diseases.
Or more likely hacks in the employ of very rich people write what very rich people want them to, even if it conflicts with reality.
"By all means publish a wide range of views. But leave out falsehood and misinformation"
ReplyDeleteGood point, focus appears to change from whichever figures look the most reactionary.
Little is said about the likes of a good friends neighbour who no longer has face to face meetings with a mental health professional because of Covid-19, he is now unfortunately causing problems for my friend and her street.
No study of previous years hospital admissions for respiratory illness.
No interview of a good friend who cannot get an dental issues fixed on the NHS, but the same dentist can see them for a fee.
The list goes on, but we do need an adult debate about the effect the virus is having on Non-Covid issues.
@20:47
ReplyDeleteI don't know if it's true, but there's a rumour that a mad scientist is teaching Covid-19 viruses how to play the nano-violin for the bloke who won't pay to get his teeth fixed.