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How has media coverage of the coronavirus influenced what you think, how you feel, or what you do?

Media coverage of coronavirus frankly has me exhausted and overwhelmed. Coverage seems to lurch from “we’re failing and falling behind in every measure and there’s no hope” to “we’re totally rocking it and outperforming the world”, from “how do we get every eligible American to take it” to “Americans need to stop being so stingy and share our abundance with the world”. And while technically all of those ideas could be true at once (and perhaps are), every story feels like it’s written in a vacuum. It’s like emotional whiplash. Then the wild sensationalism of every preprint scientific journal article regardless of caliber and quality—do this don’t do that this will save you no wait kill you no wait.... Somehow despite all this coverage, I can’t find answers to the only questions I really care about. Am I endangering my unvaccinated daycare teacher or toddler daughter every time I send her to school? Is it safe to fly across the country to visit grandparents? I know it’s not the news media’s fault that there aren’t yet hard and fast rules about what is safe and what isn’t. But for all the noise, what actual information is being shared?

April 28, 2021

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