From the senior editor
If you're anything like me, you've been watching the news about the Omicron variant with a mix of concern, dread, and an impatient need for more information. I've spent the last several days scouring my usual news suspects — The New York Times, The Washington Post, Science magazine, epidemiologists I trust on Twitter — to get a sense of what the next phase of the pandemic might look like.
As I've searched for clues about Omicron, I've had Robert Frederick's latest column for Nieman Reports tucked away in the back of my mind. His advice for journalists — to be more transparent around the uncertainty that is inherent in all scientific research — has also helped me navigate the vast reservoir of stories generated in just the last few days. As I read each offering I click on, I'm now searching for the caveats that Robert advocates should be in every story.
With the pandemic now grinding into its 21st month, we've seen the experts try to get a handle on what the coronavirus is, how it spreads, which variants might become dominant strains, and the best steps for mitigating it. At the beginning, there was much confusion, each development breathlessly covered by journalists trying to deliver the most up-to-date information and, yes, beat their competitors with breaking social media updates. As researchers made new discoveries — and ultimately had to reverse themselves on issues like whether masks could stop the spread of Covid-19 — the very natural ebb and flow of the scientific process that journalists failed to adequately cover was exploited by politicians looking to inject uncertainty for political gain.
"Journalists often use what I call journalistic caveats, or phrases such as 'a single study showed' or 'this research has not been peer reviewed,'" Robert writes. "Doing so, however, can project too much certainty about scientific results. For when newly reported scientific results contradict previous ones, the resulting whiplash contributes to public distrust and even cynicism about science and journalism. For the biggest stories in science — Covid-19 and climate change — that distrust and cynicism can be deadly."
I hope you'll take a moment to share with me the stories you've found useful — or perhaps even ones you've written or produced — to help guide you through the pandemic. You can reach me at [email protected]. I look forward to hearing from you!
All the best,
Laura Colarusso
Senior Editor
Nieman Reports
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