Seeing as how we had some controversy in the previous thread, I want to keep this one a little less dramatic by following the same rules we use for nuclear threads. Post information that can be confirmed through reliable sources, or multiple less-reliable sources. If a media source with a known political bias or agenda runs a story you think is relevant to this topic, try and find the same story elsewhere and post both links.
Admittedly, this is getting more and more difficult to do with this pandemic. I don't think an of us have ever witnessed a natural disaster politicized to the point that sources and agencies that should know better and should have the public's trust cannot be trusted with even basic information. We're just going to have to muddle through the ocean of misinformation, disinformation, and outright lies to try to find the truth, which I believe is the ultimate goal of every person on this forum.
Regarding numbers and statistics, we all know they can be manipulated to support any agenda. If the raw numbers don't provide the information you want, use per capita numbers, or use median instead of average. You get the idea. Make sure you know how the stats are being calculated by the source from which you are getting the numbers. Personally, I prefer to see raw numbers that aren't adjusted, averaged, or otherwise manipulated in any way. I accept the fact that the numbers I see are not taking into account false positives, false negatives, bad diagnoses, bad reporting, and outright fraud. The way I deal with that is I proceed as if all of those things generally balance out each other and the final number is just a good representation of what's going on.
Finally - and this is the most important - IT IS OKAY TO DISAGREE. This is a discussion, not a contest. If I question the reliability of a source, it's not a personal attack; I just want to see if political bias could have influenced the story in any way. We've got enough going on without us going at each other's throats. Keep it professional, respectful, and attack the argument, not the person making it.
Admittedly, this is getting more and more difficult to do with this pandemic. I don't think an of us have ever witnessed a natural disaster politicized to the point that sources and agencies that should know better and should have the public's trust cannot be trusted with even basic information. We're just going to have to muddle through the ocean of misinformation, disinformation, and outright lies to try to find the truth, which I believe is the ultimate goal of every person on this forum.
Regarding numbers and statistics, we all know they can be manipulated to support any agenda. If the raw numbers don't provide the information you want, use per capita numbers, or use median instead of average. You get the idea. Make sure you know how the stats are being calculated by the source from which you are getting the numbers. Personally, I prefer to see raw numbers that aren't adjusted, averaged, or otherwise manipulated in any way. I accept the fact that the numbers I see are not taking into account false positives, false negatives, bad diagnoses, bad reporting, and outright fraud. The way I deal with that is I proceed as if all of those things generally balance out each other and the final number is just a good representation of what's going on.
Finally - and this is the most important - IT IS OKAY TO DISAGREE. This is a discussion, not a contest. If I question the reliability of a source, it's not a personal attack; I just want to see if political bias could have influenced the story in any way. We've got enough going on without us going at each other's throats. Keep it professional, respectful, and attack the argument, not the person making it.