The man the media presented as “the science” during COVID invoked the Fifth Amendment 111 times during Senate questioning. Whatever one’s opinion of Dr. Anthony Fauci, it has led many people to revisit how pandemic debates unfolded and how certain viewpoints were treated.
One moment worth reconsidering is Anderson Cooper’s 2020 interview with the Las Vegas mayor at the time, Carolyn Goodman. Ms. Goodman expressed her concerns about reopening Las Vegas and the consequences of prolonged shutdowns. Mr. Cooper had every right to challenge her views. But calling her “ignorant” crossed from criticism into personal dismissal.
With the benefit of time, some of the concerns Ms. Goodman raised about the economic and social costs of shutdowns became part of a much broader conversation. One does not have to agree with every position she took to acknowledge that she deserved a serious debate.
Public figures and journalists alike should remember that today’s certainty can become tomorrow’s reconsideration. The best discussions leave room for humility.
