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The issue with changing their statements is not so much that they changed their statements, but how certain they were with their original statements. Some of th

The issue with changing their statements is not so much that they changed their statements, but how certain they were with their original statements. Some of the scientists did not start their statements with stuff like "with the available data we believe". They made it sound like what they were saying was 100% determined. Anybody who disagreed (even if it is now the prevailing view) was called anti-science. It is not strictly just the scientists making statements based on the available data, but them explicitly lying. Some of the scientists said masks were not needed for the general population. This is understandable since they wanted people who were at the greatest threat to have enough masks. The problem is when some of the earliest statements they made were lies people lose trust.

Sohcahtoa82 6y ago
I wince thinking back to that interview with Fauci early in the pandemic when he explicitly told people that we didn't need to wear masks. That statement became a massive weapon in the hands of the anti-maskers. The problem is, I'm not sure what Fauci could have said that would have been better. People are irrational, and he knew that if he recommended masks right away, then people would have begin hoarding them ASAP, and healthcare and other front-line workers would have been facing an even greater shortage. You all remember the massive run on toilet paper and sanitation supplies last year when lockdowns began? The run on masks would have been just as bad if Fauci recommended them sooner rather than later.
- _-david-_ 6y ago
  I understand why the scientists lied (about masks), but it causes people to not trust them. You lie one to many times and people will stop believing anything you have to say. Fauci and other scientists should have re-read The Boy Who Cried Wolf before lying multiple times. Also, just to be clear it wasn't strictly Fauci. The CDC and the Surgeon General made similar remarks about masks as well. If it was just Fauci I think that would have been less damaging, but to have multiple government agencies / officals all lying just looks bad.

Sohcahtoa82 6y ago

I wince thinking back to that interview with Fauci early in the pandemic when he explicitly told people that we didn't need to wear masks. That statement became a massive weapon in the hands of the anti-maskers. The problem is, I'm not sure what Fauci could have said that would have been better. People are irrational, and he knew that if he recommended masks right away, then people would have begin hoarding them ASAP, and healthcare and other front-line workers would have been facing an even greater shortage. You all remember the massive run on toilet paper and sanitation supplies last year when lockdowns began? The run on masks would have been just as bad if Fauci recommended them sooner rather than later.

_-david-_ 6y ago
I understand why the scientists lied (about masks), but it causes people to not trust them. You lie one to many times and people will stop believing anything you have to say. Fauci and other scientists should have re-read The Boy Who Cried Wolf before lying multiple times. Also, just to be clear it wasn't strictly Fauci. The CDC and the Surgeon General made similar remarks about masks as well. If it was just Fauci I think that would have been less damaging, but to have multiple government agencies / officals all lying just looks bad.