Newspapers, magazines and television played a critical role in informing people about the pandemic, and many news outlets did a good job. But some also fed misconceptions – often exaggerating risks, or equating small risks with large ones, as well as dismissing those who suggested a possible lab leak origin of the pandemic as conspiracy theorists. 

In this episode, I talk to two prominent journalists, David Leonhardt (New York Times) and David Wallace-Wells (New York Magazine), and one media critic, Gary Schwitzer (Health News Review) – all have different views of what the mainstream media got right, and what we got wrong.

“Follow the Science" is produced, written, and hosted by Faye Flam, with funding by the Society for Professional Journalists. Today’s episode was edited by Seth Gliksman with music by Kyle Imperatore. If you’d like to hear more "Follow the Science," please like, follow, and subscribe!