Or should we see 'other' science on the news

[Yolo2]

Mainly watch BBC news. Plenty of footage of nurses crying and constant re-telling of the daily figures. I'm a huge fan of the BBC but disappointed at their Coronavirus coverage. Why are we not seeing any scientific debate or discussion whatsoever? A professor at Oxford University thinks the virus might be firmly established in the population and much more widespread than government scientists believe. A professor at King's College London says the virus has most likely been in UK since January at the earliest and a huge amount of people reported Covid symptoms just after NY. Sweden's own top epedimologist has taken a completely opposing view on lockdown and has criticised the UK's approach. These are all experts in their fields with views which are hugely significant to the shocking and unprecedented situation we have found ourselves in. Before people say 'oh these people are wrong and anyone who leaves their house except to buy bread and rice should be jailed' etc etc.. the media's job is to report on this without bias and present a range of views. The fact that stuff like this is barely reported or debated suggests the media are towing the government line and terrified to do anything which might make people have any independent thought as to whether the lockdown and its continuation are a good idea.

I agree OP.

@WatcherintheRye sorry to tag you but I’m really interested in gathering a list of major things the Gov has fucked up as you suggest. What were you thinking? Things like thalidomide or things like the Iraq war or brexit?

Every time I have eggs for breakfast I remember that government advice that we should only eat 1 egg a week and people were freaking out. Stupid twats. (Gov not the worriers!)

I haven't actually watched the BBC or ITV evening or 10 o'clock news for my pandemic knowledge, so can't speak about it, although what I've read on this thread doesn't inspire me to watch it. I've been watching our local BBC evening news programme and the rest of my news fix has been EuroNews. It's not a channel I'd ever watched before, I happened on it by chance whilst channel hopping, but I like it.

I'm with you OP especially where it concerns the BBC. I've given up watching their Coronavirus update that wraps around the the daily press conference as it feels more like propaganda than news coverage.

I've begin to wonder whether they have something in their charter that as a public service broadcaster in (unprecedented'!) times of national crisis or emergency their reporting is required to reflect/promote the government guidance.

*I've begun to wonder!

@WhyCantIThinkOfAGoodOne (1) I'm not trying to conduct peer reviews of scientific literature. I just want more science on the news. (2) I don't want every single piece of ' speculation' or 'tentative suggestion' on the news - I think I've made that clear. Your argument is weaker when you are ridiculing my view with silly things I haven't even suggested. (3) I'm not suggesting my critical thinking or the general public's would solve anything scientific. But it would help to make the government more accountable if people were better informed. We are being led by science according to the government - can we see this discussed a bit more on the news please? Don't think it's too much to ask.

@Yolo2

I'm pointing out it's not for the public to decide which 'science' is more reliable - you're not capable of that. One of your complaints was that one particular Swedish epidemliogist's views wasn't mentioned on the news. I think a second's thought would tell you why that would be silly. For a start it has been mentioned on the news but it's hardly going to be a front page story is it? It isn't particularly significant to the UK - none of the modelling they've done applies to the UK (massively different population density and behaviour, completely differentalth care capacity) and we can't possibly detail every epidemloigist's view point so we chose those which have conducted research which actually applies to the UK. The evidence is overwhelmingly that the virus has not been in the UK before new year. That is why it isn't being reported - even the Oxford researcher which you quote made it very clear it was very very unlikely that the upper bound of their stated errors was a reflection of reality - it was people misunderstanding media reports which caused the confusion. It's absolutely right that science is conducted rigorously and every possibility is probed. It is obviously absurd for every theory, however unlikely is discussed in the news because the public simply don't have the skill set to distinguish between the general consensus and outlandish ideas which are being investigated for completeness.

I would quite like some actual news that isn't coronavirus-related. There must be some somewhere.

@WhyCantIThinkOfAGoodOne You seem to see yourself as well placed to decide some scientists have "outlandish" opinions. And are capable of dismissing the Swedish view as irrelevant. Despite the fact that country's top scientist leading them through this has criticised the UK approach and said he was disappointed in it. Who should decide what the public gets to hear? I will say again, there are scientists with views we aren't hearing. You think we are too stupid to know about them and hear them debated. What arrogance.

The first two worlwide studies of vit D3 status of covi 19 patients here:
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3585561
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3571484

The Alipio study only used data from patients who already had their levels tested. Therefore it proves the covid 19 virus DIDN'T reduce their levels, they were already deficient BEFORE they caught the disease.

In 30 years studying science professionally, I have never seen success probabilities as high as these. These statistics are mind-bogglingly highly significant.

An expert on vitamin D3 has produced a video which analyses the two blood studies and explains the outcomes and the science in simple terms. He filmed this yesterday:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXw3XqwSZFo

Have a look at the graph to see that the equatorial and southern hemisphere (a much greater area of the globe) is not suffering the death tolls of Europe and N America, it's incredible . The BAME deaths are a major flag for medical specialists.