Journalistic objectivity, curiosity, skepticism, neutrality, and even impartiality are in decline.
It is not merely how quickly and savagely that opinion analysis, or commentary elements of most news organizations are to dismiss challenges to establishment claims, pronouncements and proposals. The bigger disappointment is that the ‘news’ side swiftly dismisses or contradicts anything that goes against what government or government-aligned officials, and spokesmen, declare.
Nowhere was this more evident than in Covid-era propaganda. Or, rather, outright disinformation was disseminated. Often ‘facts’ were wrong – and their defenders knew better.
A basic glaring fabrication was defended for years. It was the cover story that Covid first leapt to human beings in a ‘wet market’ in Wuhan, China. This was, to some, apparently less ‘racist’ than a lab leak from the nearby Wuhan Institute of Virology. This in effect conveniently protected those involved in the research (such as including those in the U.S. government who financed it).
More Covid fallacies: the fatality rate was high – but in reality it was ‘social distancing’ of two metres could stop transmission; and everyone was at equal risk (yet children and youth had negligible risk; the old or obese far more). Also, that lockdowns would stop or that newly developed vaccines would Yet more: cloth and surgical masks were protective while vaccines were better than natural or acquired immunity. The biggest fallacy: health authorities knew what they were doing.
Several earlier infectious disease scares failed to have prepared experts (SARS-2003, West Nile, Zika, MERS, Ebola, Dengue Fever, others). Also, despite years of experience, proper information, protocols, procedures, facilities, equipment, personnel or supplies.
Related fallacies were that massive Covid-panic spending was noninflationary, or, that inflation was ‘transitory’, still cause pain today. ‘Modern Monetary Theory’ pundits encouraged governments and central bankers to monetize the debt issued to fund handouts and stimulus schemes. Critics who were castigated for warning that Canada’s government health care was disaster-bound are now validated.
Another sinking Establishment battleship is the Climate ‘Crisis’ lobby’s catastrophizing. The shrillest claim is that Earth’s, supposed, rapid warming is an ‘existential threat’. This fantasy is used to justify any and all countermeasures, no matter how destructive or expensive.
Rational adaptation to warming has been ignored: moving away from coastal areas (subject to rising sea levels), strengthening infrastructure, using more fireproofing, augmenting water supplies, changing agricultural practices, altering outdoor work hours, and employing more air conditioning.
Predictions of warming over the past thirty years have been repeatedly exaggerated. Heat-related deaths still those of cold. Another claim, that carbon dioxide is ‘evil’, is false; it is a plant food that increases crop yields dramatically.
Climate crusaders claim that solar and wind energy can reliably and cheaply replace fossil fuels. That is, again, incorrect. Yet, still widely supported by politicians and the media. One related example is the promotion of heat pumps to replace gas furnaces, despite being more expensive to buy, and to run than natural gas furnaces are.
A related fallacy is that ‘green’ and, more honestly, anti-hydrocarbon Environmental, Social and Governance, ‘ESG’ investment funds outperform regular stock market indexes. That has been disproven.
‘Conspiracy Theorists’: Many touchdowns. Authority Figures and Mainstream Media: Zero.
Remain skeptical.
Ian Madsen is the Senior Policy Analyst at the Frontier Centre for Public Policy
