Scott Alexander thinks it's because the WHO uses the phrase "not effective" to say masks haven't been scientifically proven to protect against COVID-19 specific

Scott Alexander thinks it's because the WHO uses the phrase "not effective" to say masks haven't been scientifically proven to protect against COVID-19 specifically and beyond any reasonable doubt, while the media interprets this to mean that they're "not effective" as in there's evidence against the effectiveness of masks. https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/03/23/face-masks-much-more-than-you-wanted-to-know/ https://slatestarcodex.com/2020/03/23/face-masks-much-more-t...