David Zweig

They opened their schools and there was no negative consequence that they observed. And by the way, as you surely know, they also didn't have mask mandates on two-year-olds and stuff the way we had here. They did not have HEPA filters by and large. They did not have six feet of distancing across the board. Many of them were doing three feet or one meter or nothing at all.

They opened their schools and there was no negative consequence that they observed. And by the way, as you surely know, they also didn't have mask mandates on two-year-olds and stuff the way we had here. They did not have HEPA filters by and large. They did not have six feet of distancing across the board. Many of them were doing three feet or one meter or nothing at all.

All these excuses we were told were critical. We cannot open schools. They're not safe until we do this. They weren't doing any of that stuff there. Yet somehow this was like ignored. It was as if we didn't have modern technology to understand what was happening across the Atlantic. So to me,

All these excuses we were told were critical. We cannot open schools. They're not safe until we do this. They weren't doing any of that stuff there. Yet somehow this was like ignored. It was as if we didn't have modern technology to understand what was happening across the Atlantic. So to me,

It's very, very challenging to square how our public health, quote, experts kept telling the American public with the aid of the legacy media that all these very special interventions needed to happen in order to get kids in school, even though we had the most perfect open study, you know, natural study possible with millions of kids where none of this stuff was being used.

It's very, very challenging to square how our public health, quote, experts kept telling the American public with the aid of the legacy media that all these very special interventions needed to happen in order to get kids in school, even though we had the most perfect open study, you know, natural study possible with millions of kids where none of this stuff was being used.

but I should say a significant portion of my book that School Closures is the launch point. You will be happy to know I have multiple chapters exclusively devoted to the media where it's, I have like the media part one, part two, and part three, where I basically dissect and take apart. You look at the anatomy of what happened in these like lengthy New York Times features and other pieces.

but I should say a significant portion of my book that School Closures is the launch point. You will be happy to know I have multiple chapters exclusively devoted to the media where it's, I have like the media part one, part two, and part three, where I basically dissect and take apart. You look at the anatomy of what happened in these like lengthy New York Times features and other pieces.

to understand what was actually going on with journalists, where I basically describe that they shirked the sort of core responsibility, which is to be skeptical of claims by those in power. When you think about what journalists traditionally are supposed to be doing, they're very skeptical of big business, of the government, of the church, whatever it may be, all these large...

to understand what was actually going on with journalists, where I basically describe that they shirked the sort of core responsibility, which is to be skeptical of claims by those in power. When you think about what journalists traditionally are supposed to be doing, they're very skeptical of big business, of the government, of the church, whatever it may be, all these large...

institutions that journalists typically, or at least ostensibly, are highly critical of. Somehow that evaporated during the pandemic when it came to the public health authorities, which imposed arguably the single most invasive, you know, interventions on the American public in a generation, if not in history, yet there was no question. Even history.

institutions that journalists typically, or at least ostensibly, are highly critical of. Somehow that evaporated during the pandemic when it came to the public health authorities, which imposed arguably the single most invasive, you know, interventions on the American public in a generation, if not in history, yet there was no question. Even history.

exactly so it's it's it's so extraordinary and to what i discuss is i think a lot of this comes back to a sort of political tribalism the reality is most of the people who work in our prestigious legacy media outlets tend to be from the same background and same political persuasion as those within the public health community they all tend to lean toward the left

exactly so it's it's it's so extraordinary and to what i discuss is i think a lot of this comes back to a sort of political tribalism the reality is most of the people who work in our prestigious legacy media outlets tend to be from the same background and same political persuasion as those within the public health community they all tend to lean toward the left

And they also self-select for a certain type of person. You're not an iconoclast generally in getting in at the New York Times or moving up the ladder in public health. These people often are very smart and work very hard, but they're rule followers. They're people who tend to understand and want to be within the group.

And they also self-select for a certain type of person. You're not an iconoclast generally in getting in at the New York Times or moving up the ladder in public health. These people often are very smart and work very hard, but they're rule followers. They're people who tend to understand and want to be within the group.

So when you have this groupthink between these two really important institutions, the public health apparatus combined with the legacy media, it was basically unstoppable at that point. Because as you know, Trump in the middle of the summer or early summer had said in his way with a tweet in all caps, OPEN THE SCHOOLS IN THE FALL with a bunch of exclamation points.

So when you have this groupthink between these two really important institutions, the public health apparatus combined with the legacy media, it was basically unstoppable at that point. Because as you know, Trump in the middle of the summer or early summer had said in his way with a tweet in all caps, OPEN THE SCHOOLS IN THE FALL with a bunch of exclamation points.

And once he did that, he ensured that half the schools in the country would remain closed because these people, it was intolerable to them to ever agree with Trump on anything. So once he said something, it became immediately radioactive, and they had to take the opposite stance.

And once he did that, he ensured that half the schools in the country would remain closed because these people, it was intolerable to them to ever agree with Trump on anything. So once he said something, it became immediately radioactive, and they had to take the opposite stance.