“There are two lessons one can learn from an averted disaster,” Tufekci says. “One is: That was exaggerated. The other is: That was close.”
I did not fully grasp this distinction before this pandemic (I'm embarrassed to say). Our preparations will inevitably appear to be exaggerated if they work.
the media’s default rhythm of constant piecemeal updates is ill-suited to covering an event as large as the pandemic. “Journalists still think of their job as producing new content, but if your goal is public understanding of COVID-19, one piece of new content after another doesn’t get you there,” he says. “It requires a lot of background knowledge to understand the updates, and the news system is terrible at [providing that knowledge].”
This is the highlight of the article, for me. I think this applies more broadly to our consumption of information in the age of social media, not just to a pandemic. "...if your goal is public understanding...one piece of new content after another doesn't get you there...."
During news events like Trump’s impeachment trial, people mostly share information to signal their beliefs, says Renée DiResta of Stanford, who studies how narratives spread online. But in a disaster, people tend to share information “to be useful to their community,” she says.
Interesting contrast of motives.
when people don’t have a place they can go for trusted information, it makes them vulnerable to disinformation
!!! Exactly why Trump's constant media attacks create an environment in which conspiracy theories flourish. While I'm assuming malevolence on Trump's part, Starbird is pointing out that it may come from less nefarious roots - like sloppy communication - as well.
the strongest attractor of trust shouldn’t be confidence, but the recognition of one’s limits, the tendency to point at expertise beyond one’s own, and the willingness to work as part of a whole.
This is one of my top takeaways. If an expert does not have caveats or nuances she needs to explain, we should be wary of trusting her. Unfortunately, we're not going to get nuance from character-limited tweets.
the scientific world elevates individuals for work that is usually done by teams, and perpetuates the myth of the lone genius
We need to keep this in mind - we're likely to accomplish more as teams than as individuals.
Expertise is not just about knowledge, but also about the capacity to spot errors.
Interesting. I've never thought about it exactly this way before, but I think it's true. With photography, for instance, the more I learn, the more errors I can find in my previous work.
Why the Coronavirus Is So Confusing
This title doesn't seem right to me. For what it's worth.
De Blasio’s and Cuomo’s instincts are understandable. A political leader’s job, in most situations, is to ease citizens’ fears and buoy the economy.
I can appreciate the author acknowledging that what is required of a political leader in a pandemic might go against her or his instincts (and, in fact, against exactly those personal strengths/abilities that have made the politician successful in prior situations).
“Tell the messenger I’m almost done with my sext.”FacebookTwitterEmailShoppingCartoon by Julia Suits
Too bad about this cartoon in the middle of an otherwise good article!
Such inconstancy from a leader is distracting in the best of times. It is dangerous in a pandemic. “Right now, everyone is so confused by all the conflicting messages that, each time the guidance evolves, fewer and fewer people might follow it,” Besser, the former C.D.C. director, said. “We’re going backward in our sophistication.”
This IS on Trump. This should be the President's responsibility. No, he is not responsible for creating the virus, or introducing it to our population. I don't believe he wanted people to die. But he epically failed to lead, and therefore more people died.
The county had bought a motel to house homeless residents who tested positive for the coronavirus. When one homeless man at the motel, who was asymptomatic, left to buy a beer, Constantine immediately went to court, so that police could arrest him the next time he went out. The man’s actions had posed little risk: he had gone to a gas station across the street, then returned. But, Constantine told me, “the fact is some people are not going to follow the rules—and we need to show everyone there are consequences.”
The Yakima Union Gospel Mission was wrestling with a similar issue this weekend. I don't know if it has yet been resolved. I don't envy their position - decisions regarding whom they can serve and how are difficult under normal conditions, but much more so during a pandemic.
everyone, Republicans and Democrats, came together behind one message and agreed to let the scientists take the lead.
Yay for Washington state! But...we desperately need more of this.
Constantine thought that announcing school closings was a potent communication strategy
It was! "Potent" for sure.
Constantine told me, “Jeff recognized what he was asking for was impractical. He said if we advised social distancing right away there would be zero acceptance. And so the question was: What can we say today so that people will be ready to hear what we need to say tomorrow?” In e-mails and phone calls, the men began playing a game: What was the most extreme advice they could give that people wouldn’t scoff at? Considering what would likely be happening four days from then, what would they regret not having said?
I found this particularly interesting. This acknowledgement that the reception of social distancing instructions would be critical to their effectiveness..and the calculated attempt to inform and persuade people incrementally...the strategic communications here really mattered!
American culture poses special challenges
No kidding! We don't really have the same sense of obligation to one another that many other cultures have, for a start. It turns out that during a pandemic, you have to sacrifice your own liberties for a short while, to keep others alive. Selflessness like that is hard even IF you believe you're doing the right thing. But I think we're also struggling in America with stay-at-home orders, because such orders clash with our value system. Not only is this uncomfortable or difficult for me to enact, it's challenging my values (individualism and independence reigning supreme) and my understanding of the world.
Such a gesture of empathy establishes common ground with scared and dubious citizens—who, because of their mistrust, can be at the highest risk for transmission.
This is exactly what didn't happen more generally across the U.S. and lead to protestors congregating last weekend in large crowds, without masks, in close proximity, etc. Their mistrust put them at greater risk.
One of the E.I.S.’s core principles is that a pandemic is a communications emergency as much as a medical crisis.
This is one of the most insightful lines to me, particularly because I think it applies to many other emergencies or crises in life. The communications around the event are almost as important as direct actions that cause a tangible effect.