The Demise of Trusted Research
Appreciating greatly The Costs of Selling COVID Fear by James Surowiecki. I actually get stopped in my track by the mention early on of "preprint" research being used by the CDC who above all should know better. Please let us know that it is a preprint and what I say below still applies.
Clarification: I now understand that James’ point is about media and clickbait inflammatory titling. I get that and my response is a bit different in revealing how I have seen research has changed. Secondly, I just spoke with a friend who worked and wrote for the CDC during the HIV and more era. She often used preprint material and found much of it useful. And she is experienced. When I followed a UK COVID source when he first mistakenly, being a traditional peer review guy, cited a pre-print, he admitted shock. I sent him information on the phenomenon. He now uses it but clearly labels it and cites sources.
I also respect that in this time of unknowing James accepts a lot of “may bes” that would not yet be known to be so and with the new variants seems there will be a lot of “may be” evidence. Still, I recommend we notice the power of media and corporations to skew the conversation and information. It may not be in our best interest.
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Perhaps as serious as anything before the pandemic happened, back before 2018, perhaps as the right-wing was becoming entrenched, was the corporate buy-up of research and journals which used to be low cost or free and made FOR PROFIT.
What most do not know is that journals and research projects that were once funded by the government or ethical agencies began being bought by CORPORATIONS and although the subsequent outrage has led to some open-source publication, one must READ VERY CAREFULLY. And it can be tedious, best done with a knowledgeable friend.
Who did the research? Who owns the journal publishing it? In certain kinds of research, has it been replicated and peer-reviewed? I believe you will find today and in the rush to create vaccinations regarding COVID we have often been given unsubstantiated information.
And as much as I like to blame Putin et al, this began as corporations took over everything in "science" as a for-profit. We seemed to have lost the concept of pure science which something as “novel” as this virus would seem to require.
Losing TRUST in reputable research has indeed, as James writes, caused an overhyping of questionable information and made us all crazy, literally.
I just had a former friend rush to publish an anti-vax rant on a big platform, substacks. He is famous and it will get read. He believes we who vax and mask for the greater good are MOBS against the unvaxxed and that we assume we are "right." Well, some of those statistics regarding who's living and who's dying are valid even as many nitpick was COVID the actual cause of death. I personally am fine with “COVID was present” especially in complex cases.
My “friend” sees himself as promoting unity. I have no words. As he was responding to my questioning some of this, he took my views and the views of others including my mention of sub stacks, fast to publication against all I said. I felt literally stabbed in the back by a cult leader who claims intellectual brilliance.
While this may seem like a sidebar, it is an example of the cost of this craziness. Like a civil war. Friends against friends.
Around 2018, when I mentored an online natural health forum of 46k, I covered the topic of the new onslaught of corporate research. Members began bringing in papers saying "hey look, this one is sponsored by Coca-Cola."
WHAT IF we could trust research as in the days of government-funded peer-reviewed papers? A loss of TRUST in information and the irresponsible use of "preprint" and corporate-owned research has I suspect as James is saying, spread unnecessary fear and seems to have destabilized an area that we need to be able to trust.
This absolutely disgusts me. PLEASE LEARN TO READ RESEARCH AND KNOW THE RED FLAGS.
I enjoy reading The Scholarly Kitchen a blog devoted to scholarly publishing. When this phenomenon of corporate buy-out began papers became unavailable, researchers were often charged and I believe still are, to have their papers read or to get access to supportive documents. Many left the field of scholarship.
I have great compassion for how disinformation regarding COVID is killing us, literally, and how this might have been avoided though we just don't have answers for what is happening.
This still does not make using UNVALIDATED research ethically responsible. Please use YOUR own good sense and try to discuss with trusted communities as YOU decide.
Forgive me if I am off base. As I always say check me and what I am saying. And as I also advise: question authority while staying calm and consulting others.
Thank you, James. Hugely important in my view.
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BTW if you really want to panic, take a look at Newsweek's inflammatory cover now on Doomsday: A Doomsday COVID Variant Worse Than Delta and Lambda May Be Coming, Scientists Say
Beyond irresponsible in my view. Shame on Newsweek's clickbait and of course publishing unsubstantiated research. Reader beware. Notice the term MAY BE. My blood boils. Thanks for considering my views.
