A Case for Journalistic Humility
Megan McArdle's essay on the COVID-19 pandemic stirs second thoughts on coverage.
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Five years ago this week, when the COVID-19 pandemic locked us into our homes, I discovered the therapeutic respite of long walks in a nearby graveyard.
There was something soothing about the quiet beauty of the place. Something calming about the enduring history of humanity etched into marble stones. Something inspiring about the morbid reminder of life’s chase to death: It’s coming; be your best while you still can.
I loved those walks. I miss those walks. Why don’t I still take those walks? These thoughts occurred to me while reading a series of poignant mini-essays by Washington Post columnists remembering how they coped. Shadi Hamid embraced solitude. Eugene Robinson built an in-home TV studio. Aaditi Lele took an “18-month spring break.” Chloe Coleman bonded with her husband over horses. Leana S. Wen had a daughter.
While each piece touched me in a different way, one in particular struck me as a valuable lesson in journalist humility.
“I overestimated the effectiveness of lockdowns and underestimated their likely duration,” Megan McArdle wrote in her essay. “I endorsed vaccine mandates, which turned out to sacrifice a lot of liberty for little benefit, because the vaccine wasn’t effective enough to generate herd immunity against a mutating virus that sometimes produces no detectable symptoms. I also wrote about much of it more intemperately than I should have — venting, rather than persuading.”
Venting, rather than persuading. In these convulsive times, too many writers use their platforms to mock, castigate, and judge rather than to lead with empathy and find a way into their readers’ hearts and minds. Hissy fits and virtue signaling are the sugar high of writers. They are not the tools of persuasion, which when accomplished give writers lasting impact.
I write that last paragraph more to myself than to fellow writers. Vent less, Ron. Persuade more.
Ben Franklin’s Take on Climate Change
Paid subscribers get daily access to The Morning Read-In, where today I wrote about the Covid-19 series, plus my take on these other stories:
President Trump’s oddly honest answer about a potential recession.
Ben Franklin’s battle against climate change, which helped cause climate change.
The pro-family case for allowing employees to work from home.
The great salt shakeup.
- as a model for independent journalists at Substack.
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“Journalistic Humility!” A lost art? Thank you for sharing this important perspective, and I wish for journalists to take this to heart.
👏 Brava to Jeanne Jax for a distinction worth remembering: "The line between cynicism and skepticism is the willingness to be open to new information."