Trusting the "mainstream" and the "establishment" is historically a poor bet when it comes to science that is controversial by nature. Consider what a humanist

Trusting the "mainstream" and the "establishment" is historically a poor bet when it comes to science that is controversial by nature. Consider what a humanist scientist would want to believe to be true: - Nature bestowed yet another pathogen upon humanity or - Science caused an accident that killed a million people Even if it was a lab accident, it would be difficult to blame the whole of China for it. More likely, scientific work itself would be blamed, which could eradicate entire lines of research, threatening the livelihood and reputation of many scientists and lab workers. Though I am skeptical, I myself would like to believe the first scenario to be true. I might even be inclined to believe that misleading the public on it is the right thing to do, all potential consequences considered.