The media covers events episodically — which means they cover each one as a distinct incident — rather than thematically, which would involve characterizing events like today’s shooting as just the latest in a series of interconnected events with common underlying causes.

'We could've put a HEPA filter in every classroom for $1 billion. And yet, spoiler alert, there are not HEPA filters in every classroom.' 🔥🔥🔥

I don’t want to shade my colleagues in histories of medicine and other fields who are also pretending the pandemic is over, but I’m questioning a lot of y’all’s basic understanding of what your own fields say about the histories of disease

It should not be lost on anyone that this occurred on the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington & Martin Luther King Jr.’s iconic“I Have a Dream” speech. Sixty years later, racism remains embedded in this nation.

The vibes in journalism this week

One of Iowa's largest cities has repealed its ban on “conversion therapy” after a national Christian group, Liberty Counsel, threatened to sue. It’s an example of efforts across the U.S. to challenge protections for LGBTQ+ kids. apnews.com/article/lgbtq-…

One of the most important myth-busting deep-dives I've ever done.

What was the real impact of Covid school closures?
Were they avoidable?
Did they cause 'learning loss' & mental health decline?
What's the impact of Covid on kids' health?

Please do watch:
youtube.com/watch?v=-h5xyG…

Kevin Carr, WI Department of Corrections secretary, today at a incarceration roundtable said 'I'm not talking' and walked away when asked to comment on a recent The New York Times report of poor conditions at a locked-down prison facility in Waupun.

NYT report from Mario Koran:
wisconsinwatch.org/2023/08/waupun…

City of Hope in Duarte, CA, has maintained masking requirements, and this has prevented hospital-acquired COVID-19 there entirely, according to Dr. Trisal, chief medical officer. “Our policies enabled us to achieve 0 nosocomial infections, 0 outbreaks.'

cancertherapyadvisor.com/home/cancer-to…

When Mandy K. Cohen, MD, MPH was in Harlem last week, I asked if she plans to take action regarding ventilation as a #COVID19 protection now that cases are again rising, noting that she focuses on individual measures like masking and testing.

Here's a transcript from our interview:

Remember that, per the CDC, most American adults are categorized as high risk—one paper’s calculations put it at 75.4% of U.S. adults. cbsnews.com/news/is-maskin…

A steadily growing body of scientific evidence demonstrates that 'rapid-onset gender dysphoria' claims do not reflect transgender adolescents’ experiences and that “social contagion” is not causing more young people to seek gender-affirming care. trib.al/nSQ70Fq

“When looking at…face masks & mask mandates, studies consistently reported the measures were an effective approach to reduce infection. The evidence…indicates higher-quality respirator masks–such as #N95 #masks –were more effective than surgical…masks…”theguardian.com/world/2023/aug…

A review of thousands of studies by The Royal Society finds public health measures such as social distancing & masks unequivocally reduce the spread of COVID infections. Notably, non-pharmaceutical interventions are most effective when used in combination.
theguardian.com/world/2023/aug…

We’ve been holding off on writing about the BA.2.86 coronavirus variant, but we’re concerned now.

It’s the most mutated one since omicron and the most effective at evading immunity. Few cases, but it’s spreading globally.

No paywall: washingtonpost.com/health/2023/08…

I hate that it is always the evening, after a full day of reporting and writing and conducting 2 hour interviews, that my brain finally clicks into Real Writing Mode.

COVID hospitalizations climb 22% this week — and the CDC predicts further increases as new variants spread - CBS News cbsnews.com/news/covid-hos…

lol ok joe

CBS News: 'Study says millions may have Long COVID and not know it'

Millions of people may have Long COVID and not know it. New research suggests limited testing contributed to the problem. Jarred Hill reports for CBS New York.

cbsnews.com/newyork/video/…