https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/04/14/a-failure-but-not-of-prediction/
\xa0
I.
Vox asks\xa0What Went Wrong With The Media\u2019s Coronavirus Coverage?\xa0They conclude that the media needs to be better at \u201cnot just saying what we do know, but what we don\u2019t know\u201d. This raises some important questions. Like: how much ink and paper is there in the world? Are we sure it\u2019s enough? But also: how do you become better at saying what you don\u2019t know?
In case you\u2019ve been hiding under a rock recently (honestly, valid) the media not only failed to adequately warn its readers about the epidemic, but actively mocked and condescended to anyone who\xa0did\xa0sound a warning. Real Clear Politics has\xa0a list of highlights. The\xa0Vox tweet\xa0saying \u201cIs this going to be a deadly pandemic? No.\u201d Washington Post\xa0telling us in February\xa0\u201cWhy we should be wary of an aggressive government reponse to coronavirus (it might \u201cscapegoat marginalized populations\u201d). The Daily Beast\xa0complaining that\xa0\u201ccoronavirus, with zero American fatalities, is dominating headlines, while the flu is the real threat\u201d. The\xa0New York Times,\xa0weighing in\xa0with articles like \u201cThe pandemic panic\u201d and \u201cWho says it\u2019s not safe to travel to China\u201d. The\xa0constant\xa0attempts\xa0to attribute\xa0\u201calarmism\u201d over the virus to anti-Chinese racism.\xa0Etc,\xa0etc,\xa0etc.
One way people have summed this up is that the media (and the experts they relied on) did a terrible job predicting what would happen. I think this lets them off too easy.