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February English Club Discussion Forum
Q1. Mahdawi writes: Still, let us be clear: the biggest obstacle towards ending this pandemic is not kooks such as Key and Owens. The obstacle is the rich countries that have been hoarding vaccines, and the likes of Pfizer and Moderna, who have been slow to license their vaccine technology (developed with taxpayer money) to poor countries.
Discuss.
Q2. Mahdawi writes: The amount of misinformation about Covid cures is highly depressing, and it is important that we hold to account the people spreading dangerous falsehoods, and undermining trust in the vaccine.
To what extent do you agree? Who do you think the author is referring to when she says ‘people’? How do you think these people can/should be held to account?
Q3. How have you seen news media shift or change over the years? What concerns or appreciation do you have for those changes?
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7 Replies
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I do believe that the biggest ostacle towards almost everything is the lack of sense of responsability and of respect of other. If all of us had followed the simple rules necessary in such emergency situations, we would have been in a better condition now.
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I do believe that the biggest ostacle towards almost everything is the lack of sense of responsability and of respect of other. If all of us had followed the simple rules needed in such emergency situations, we would have been in a better condition now.
I think that the best way to contain this kind of misinformation is the good information itself! If I’m not an expert in something, I should study and ask someone with more aknowledge in that field.
Unfortunately, news media are getting worse over time, both in terms of the quality of information and the quantity…. Curiosity and accuracy remain two essential characteristics of knowledge.
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Q1. In my opinion ‘the rich countries hoarding vaccines and slowing to license their vaccine technology to poor countries’ is only one of examples of huge discrepancies between poor and rich countries.
Obviously there are also a lot of economic interests behind vaccines matter, we need to take into account Governments’ directives have been dictated by profit as well, not only for common health.
How can we think about ending this pandemic when only rich countries get the vaccine, and poor countries don’t have the same possibility?Q2. To what extent do you agree? Who do you think the author is referring to when she says ‘people’? How do you think these people can/should be held to account?
I cannot agree more about the amount of misinformation about Covid. The author is referring to all kooks that have touted questionable ‘cure’ to Covid during the last two years, extolling health benefits without any scientific support. The New Media’s development doesn’t help to fight spreading falsehoods out and, unfortunately, it is highly improbable that we hold to account ‘these people’, or we are far from sorting out spreading misinformation.
Q3. News Media have been incredibly shifted over the years. We’ve moved from professional reporters who gave us information through news reports or newscasts based on journalistic sources to journalists who are worried about increase their audience, following titillating news, gossips, whose only concern is to appear in public. We urge to have a highly discriminating approach to what we read, what we watch and what we listen to.
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Q1:
I agree with Mahdawi about the two main obstacles she mentions in her article that are responsible for slowing down the eradication of the Covid pandemic. But I think it is more complex than that. For instance, there are many places in the so called poor countries were the vaccines are waiting to be administered and getting spoiled because people are afraid to be inoculated due to all the disinformation and superstition created around them. Also, many people around the world are seeing vaccination as an affront to their liberties, instead of a means to protect them. Furthermore, they think the vaccines were developed too soon to be fully tested, as if they knew how long it took to develop other vaccines we have been getting for years ( smallpox, measles, polio, etc.) that have saved so many lives. All this is the result of too much unfiltered information that makes people believe they master all kind of topics instead of relying on the experts. It is always easier to say that Big Pharma is the villain, but thanks to them we got a vaccine in record time.
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Q2: The people Mahdawi refers to are not only the kooks she describes in the article, who are touting absurd remedies, because there is a limit to the reach they have, and they are too ridiculous to be really dangerous (I don’t think that many people are going to drink their own urine! ) With people that should be get accountable for, I think she implies unscrupulous journalists and people with power who are able to influence many individuals who follow and believe them.
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Q3: With Internet and Social Media widespread, News Media has dramatically changed. People have access now in real time to news and information, that used to be in the hands of a few. This is a positive change but it also entails important drawbacks. There has always been misinformation in the History of mankind, but now falsehoods travel so fast and are so global that they are even more dangerous than before. Mass media have a harder job and a greater responsibility than ever as a beacon of truthful information to avoid dire consequences that could easily get out of hand.
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Recent news about future production of vaccines appeared officially and highlighted the possibility that it can be carried out also by some African-and Asian countries ,better now than never! What helped Anti-vax attitude and kooks’ odd solutions to widespread is the misinformation about the epidemic situation,Official sources of some governments’ technical staffs had been broadcasting misleading data that don’t make clear how their composition is according to age of the dead,cshifts of infected people according to their age ,health situation and s.o.
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