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I am beyond excited to announce that I will be writing AN ABUNDANCE OF CAUTION, a book for @mitpress, about the schools debacle in America during the pandemic. The book, in essence, will be a case study of how and why bad decisions are madeTHREAD
1/12
I first covered the evidence on children and schools on May 11, 2020, which, contra claims by some politicians and journalists, was highly suggestive even then (after all, it was convincing enough for Europe)
2/12 https://www.wired.com/story/the-case-for-reopening-schools/
2/12 https://www.wired.com/story/the-case-for-reopening-schools/
It is hard to overestimate how much of an anomaly this article was at the time
3/12 https://twitter.com/ZacBissonnette/status/1354944669155790858
3/12 https://twitter.com/ZacBissonnette/status/1354944669155790858
Then, in a series for @Wired, and pieces in @NYMag and @nytimes, I continued to lay out a case of the evidence, the idiocy, the politics, the media distortions, and the effect on children relating to school policies.
In June, CDC's poor guidance:
4/12 https://www.wired.com/story/its-ridiculous-to-treat-schools-like-covid-hot-zones/
In June, CDC's poor guidance:
4/12 https://www.wired.com/story/its-ridiculous-to-treat-schools-like-covid-hot-zones/
In July, I tracked Pandemic Pods as a bizarre and distressing phenomenon, for NYT. In the piece I noted data from Sweden which showed teachers were at no greater risk than other professionals
5/12 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/30/nyregion/pod-schools-hastings-on-hudson.html
5/12 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/30/nyregion/pod-schools-hastings-on-hudson.html
In August I wrote the first major article to raise concerns about potential increased transmission, and harms to families, from the impending "hybrid" model that would soon be implemented in thousands of schools
6/12 https://www.wired.com/story/hybrid-schooling-is-the-most-dangerous-option-of-all/
6/12 https://www.wired.com/story/hybrid-schooling-is-the-most-dangerous-option-of-all/
Sept: Hybrid hinged on the need for space, specifically 6 feet. But there is no science behind 6 ft in schools; moreover, schools had no idea how to implement 6 ft and many, as I showed, were farcically, insanely using a wildly incorrect calculation 7/12 https://www.wired.com/story/44-square-feet-a-school-reopening-detective-story/
Oct: While millions of kids were fully remote or stuck in nonsensical hybrid, other US schools, even in deep blue New York, were open full time.
How'd they do it? Hint: it's not just money
I profiled 2 districts & investigated 40 others for NYMag
8/12 https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/10/school-openings-covid-19.html
How'd they do it? Hint: it's not just money
I profiled 2 districts & investigated 40 others for NYMag
8/12 https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/10/school-openings-covid-19.html
Nov: I wrote about how media hypes narratives that fit preconceived notions without fact-checking or providing context. The article's focus was peripheral to schools, but the point applies to school coverage 9/12 https://www.wired.com/story/are-covid-patients-gasping-it-isnt-real-as-they-die/
Jan: We'd been given endless and ever-changing lists of demands to open schools. But one that had always seemed to be the endgame â teacher vaccination â turned out to be yet another Lucy yanking the football from Charlie Brown
10/12 https://www.wired.com/story/the-ethics-of-vaccinating-teachers-and-keeping-schools-closed/
10/12 https://www.wired.com/story/the-ethics-of-vaccinating-teachers-and-keeping-schools-closed/
All the above is just the start. The book will reveal behind the scenes evidence from whistleblower scientists; feature stories of kids & parents; explore the influence of media; expose govt documents; uncover the psychology of fear, ignorance and selfishness; & much more! 11/12
AN ABUNDANCE OF CAUTION will be a roadmap for understanding the human, political, and social dynamics behind decision making in any long term crisis
There's much more in store beyond the book
Email me with tips, stories, and to join my mailing list.
dave @ davidzweig dot com
There's much more in store beyond the book
Email me with tips, stories, and to join my mailing list.
dave @ davidzweig dot com
