9. All journalists, all the time, should ask themselves: “Why is this the angle?” “What aren’t we seeing?” “What aren’t we saying?”. The story I tell in the article at the top of this thread is a story of suggestibility. Let’s not be dupes. - ThreadSky

georgemonbiot.bsky.social • 225 days ago

9. All journalists, all the time, should ask themselves:
“Why is this the angle?”
“What aren’t we seeing?”
“What aren’t we saying?”.
The story I tell in the article at the top of this thread is a story of suggestibility. Let’s not be dupes.

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everickert.bsky.social•225 days ago

Great piece, and a dynamic I've seen play out elsewhere. Thank you for all your good work. 😔

If I may offer some gentle feedback? To lots of us across the pond,"circle the wagons" has low-key racist connotations. "Close ranks" means the same thing with less baggage.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/circle-the-wagons-festival-change-name-1.4233471

tah-sci.com•225 days ago

No comment on the particular questions, but scientists generally ought to be targeted sparingly (says the scientist, yes, conflict of interest). Because: (1) There's variability in even good studies so in collating the totality of evidence there will be results that individually aren't "right".

tah-sci.com•225 days ago

(2) We're super vulnerable and easy to find, mainly because we teach. You can walk off the street into my office. Journalists and other professions more in the public sphere are more set up to deal with disgruntled members of the public.

tah-sci.com•225 days ago

(3) Often we have it coming "from both sides". There is no scientific study you can publish on certain topics (I'm thinking particularly vaccine policy) that won't get some group of people annoyed, often scarily so.

tah-sci.com•225 days ago

So, yes, scientists should be accountable for their work like everyone is. But, there are lots of bits of science that are worthwhile and don't attract unwanted attention. The impact of targeting scientists working in "controversial" areas is primarily to drive them away, which benefits no-one.

exceedhergrasp1.bsky.social•225 days ago

It would definitely be wise to read the article and other sources on the now-debunked claims in question. Otherwise, you are speaking to generalities which do not apply.

eleanorsews.bsky.social•223 days ago

Cf the Guardian Letters page; long on sophistry, short on science.

kacheston.bsky.social•225 days ago

Thank you so much, George, for this excellent thread and article.

This last post reminded of Jen Brea's TED Talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb3yp4uJhq0 and her thoughts on science and medicine as 'profoundly human endeavours'.

Who wants to believe that a simple viral infection can cause such suffering?

awelder.bsky.social•225 days ago

The very worst quality anyone who works with information can have is to be obtuse. This is true of journalists, doctors, lawyers, teachers, everyone whose job involves working with information

glengirl.bsky.social•225 days ago

ME/CFS affects women disproportionately. The medical profession has a history of being unable to accept they don't know what is wrong and push the diagnosis back onto the patient, claiming it's a psychological condition. I will never forget my mother being told the pain she was having was in her

glengirl.bsky.social•225 days ago

Head. She actually had her breast cancer which was supposedly 'cured' return in the form of metastases in her bones and other places causing immense pain. The speed with which the doctor decided it was a mental condition was shameful. So shame on these whinging doctors in your article.

cfsresearch.bsky.social•224 days ago

George, why don't you actually talk to recovered patients? You would see that your narrative is incorrect and toxic. Patients are recovering every day with the help of psychosocial techniques. The idea that you are pushing of physical vs psychological doesn't make sense, and is unscientific.

cfsresearch.bsky.social•224 days ago

Recovered patients receive torrents of abuse when we publish our recovery stories, and it's false narratives like the ones you publish that are perpetutating this. Because if the patient didn't have a physical illness, they were just crazy or didn't have ME in the first place, right? That's the

cfsresearch.bsky.social•224 days ago

narrative, and it's highly toxic and dangerous.

quarkbee.bsky.social•225 days ago

This is a pattern - a feature of the system, not a bug. It's happening most egregiously with trans healthcare right now - trans people are denied care while their oppressors claim victimhood.

quarkbee.bsky.social•225 days ago

It's also happening with autistic kids and the abusive ABA industry.

It's always about power struggles (and the related flows of money).

quarkbee.bsky.social•225 days ago

Power hierarchies always bring out their *worst* viciousness against truth speakers and advocates for the rights of the oppressed in the moments when the latter start gaining traction. It's how they snuff out attempts at transformative action that threaten to be successful.

quarkbee.bsky.social•225 days ago

It's always the same -you achieve some progress, gain popular support, and then face the vicious backlash from the system. It's why we're now seeing such vicious backlash against DEI, against Me Too, against BLM, against climate protesters, against social justice movements...

quarkbee.bsky.social•225 days ago

It's all connected.

It's why I believe that environmental and social movements have to work together. We have to stand with each other. Protecting human diversity and natural diversity - protecting life on earth.

quarkbee.bsky.social•225 days ago

So, as an environmentalist, I say Black Lives Matter, Trans Rights are Human Rights, Me Too, and Free Palestine. It's all part of the same fight.

katkass.bsky.social•223 days ago

One ardent defender of the discredited view of ME described in your article is now chair of the National Children and Young People’s Gender Dysphoria Research Oversight Board.

I hope you're not a dupe.

https://transsafety.network/posts/simon-wessely-history-discrediting-sick-disabled-people-bad-news-trans-health-research-priorities/

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