COVID-19
No doubt, academics will research for ages on the bizarre time when society was shut down, Parliaments stopped to convene, and the whole population was put in lockdown – in some countries, for many months in a row.
For all 2020-2023 pandemic policies, very scant evidence of effectiveness was provided by governments. Vaccines and drugs developed in a rush were authorized at warp speed and often imposed to people of every possible age, regardless of their individual risk if infected. All this was justified with a coronavirus, well-known as being one for which was hard to develop a vaccine, as it constantly mutates. It wasn’t a big issue until 2020, as these viruses were also known for causing mild symptoms in most individuals.
Everything changed in 2020, and since then journalists actively helped building up mass panic and confusion by shunning and isolating all voices dissenting with the all-in policies implemented worldwide. Among them, the most experienced scientists, doctors and reporters specializing in the field.
History won’t be kind with this time of madness, that comes with long-haul consequences on science, public health and democracy.
Articles:
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2020: “Journalism in pandemic mode: embedded, complacent and unable to inform democratic debate”
An executive whose press conferences are accessible only by streaming – the only questions journalists are allowed to ask are those they have sent at least one hour in advance by e-mail. Government press briefings to which only a handful of correspondents can attend in person. Journalists who must obtain permission from the police to interview doctors and are escorted by an officer during their work. These snapshots are neither dystopian science fiction nor a report about the conditions imposed on journalists by an autocrat: they describe the new normality of the Swiss media in the age of the coronavirus.
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2020: “Document of the Day: A Look at Pfizer’s Vaccine Press Release”
Rown Philp made for the Global Investigative Journalist Network (GIJN) a write up of our analysis of Pfizer early press release on the efficacy of its COVID-19 vaccine. The advertising text by the pharmaceutical company was copied and pasted by media worldwide. However, the numbers and the conclusion presented in the press release didn’t reflect the original data.
Available in English.
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2021: “Science in Pandemic Mode: The Strange Case of the Swiss National COVID-19 Science Task Force”
The Swiss National COVID-19 Science Task Force, a group of experts supposed to inform decision-makers about the scientific evidence in the coronavirus crisis, continues to enjoy extraordinary visibility and influence in the daily lives of the Swiss in an unprecedented way. A debate on its legitimacy and its role appears more necessary than ever. Above all, it is high time to critically examine the quality of its scientific work.
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2021: “Democracy in pandemic mode: the strange case of the COVID certificate”
Is the introduction of COVID certificates in Switzerland just an inevitable step towards a return to normal life? Or is it a worrying social experiment involving sensitive data, which will lead to the stigmatization and exclusion of those who refuse the conditions necessary to obtain this “open sesame”? The vote on the COVID-19 Act of June 13, 2021 should have been the occasion for a fundamental debate on these questions. But this did not take place and citizens don’t have essential information to make an informed decision.
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2021: “The EMA COVID-19 data leak, and what it tells us about mRNA instability”
Documents leaked from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) following a cyber-attack show that some early commercial batches of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine had lower than expected levels of intact mRNA molecules. The complete, intact mRNA molecule is essential to the potency of the vaccine. Confidential documents show the EMA was concerned about the difference in quality between clinical batches and proposed commercial batches of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Specifically, EMA had major concerns over unexpectedly low quantities (around 55%) of intact mRNA in batches of the vaccine developed for commercial production. In short, commercial manufacturing was not producing vaccines to the specifications expected, and regulators were unsure of the implications on safety and efficacy. This investigation is available in English on the British Medical Journal.
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2021: “Donuts, drugs, booze, and guns: what governments are offering people to take COVID-19 vaccines”
As the race to vaccinate the world accelerates, some countries are using novel methods to persuade those who are less forthcoming. Available in English on the British Medical Journal.
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2021: “Function creep in pandemic mode: the strange case of the COVID-19 certificates”
Re-Check published, in collaboration with Dutch investigative journalist Jannes van Roermund, a three-parts series on the potential for #FunctionCreep of the COVID-19 passport (also called “green pass”, “health pass”, “COVID pass”, “COVID certificate”). Its scope of validity has in fact been successively extended in most countries and it became an indispensable prerequisite for participating in society. Since 2020, several private and state actors have been presenting the implementation of the COVID-19 certificate as a way to create a wallet for digital identity (e-ID). Our research has shown that a maze of governmental and non-governmental entities is now piggybacking the crisis.
Available in English, French, and German. The version published by Dutch investigative platform Follow The Money is available (log-in required) in Dutch and English.
These features come with a map of the maze of actors involved: in English, in French, and in German.
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2021: “COVID-19: Whatever happened to the Novavax vaccine?”
Novavax had a vaccine with big promise. Its more traditional technology and easy storage attracted huge global investment but, as year two of the pandemic draws to a close, the company struggles with regulators, disappoints hopeful governments, and lags far behind its competitors.
Available in English on the British Medical Journal.
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2024: “Lessons from Covid coverage: the media can drive you crazy”
We contributed with an original piece (“Lessons from Covid coverage: the media can drive you crazy”) to the essay “Sans diversité de vue, pas de journalisme” (Without a multiplicity of perspectives, there is no journalism), published in French by Editions Favre. The book was coordinated by Myret Zaki. (Available here as a PDF file)
On this topic, check also the webinars Re-Check participated to, and the interviews Catherine Riva and Serena Tinari gave to several media of different countries.
