Misinformation about coronavirus can have serious consequences

冠状病毒相关的错误信息会产生严重后果

燕山大学 刘立军 供稿

TRANSCRIPT

This is Scientific American's 60-second Science, I'm Steve Mirsky.

"You know, the other day we had a bright, sunny day as we do today in New York, after many days of gloomy darkness and cold. And I went outside to get some milk and saw the streets were full of people. And they were all young people who'd somehow gotten the message that this is only dangerous for old people."

Laurie Garrett, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author the 1995 book The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance. She's been on the pandemic beat for decades. She was interviewed recently on the new Sustain What? Webcast launched last month by longtime journalist Andrew Revkin. He now runs an initiative on communication and sustainability at Columbia University's Earth Institute.

"You know, the misinformation that's come out is just incredible. And a lot of politicians are the major vehicles of this misinformation. They've somehow gotten the word that young people can't get sick, young people can't die, they won't be hospitalized. It's really not a problem. It's only, only old people, like me, that can get sick and die, so what the heck, I'll go ahead and go out and wander around and go jogging and hang out in the park with my friends for a picnic. And you know, if I get infected, it's no biggie. Well, it is a biggie! Because you can infect others. You can pass your virus on. You perpetuate the epidemic. And, yes, you can get sick. Forty percent of the seriously ill hospitalized people in New York City right now, which is the epicenter of the entire global pandemic at this moment, 40 percent of them are under 50 years of age. So this notion that it's just old people: dead wrong. And so the consequences of any statement by any leader that isn't rooted in solid science - or, if the solid science is uncertain, doesn't state the uncertainty - is socially irresponsible, is costing lives, is actually killing people."

The entire Webcast is archived on YouTube, with the title, "The Press and the Pandemic: Tips from Pulitzer Winner Laurie Garrett."

For Scientific American's 60-second Science. I'm Steve Mirsky.

VOCABULARY

1. what the heck: 怎么回事（非正式，表示极度惊讶的语气）

2. biggie n. (informal) an important thing, person or event 重要的人（或事物）；大事；大人物

3. perpetuate v. (formal) to make sth. such as a bad situation, a belief, etc. continue for a long time 使永久化；使持久化；使持续。例如：to perpetuate injustice 持续造成不公正

4. epicenter n. 中心

5. archive v. to put or store a document or other material in an archive 把……存档；把……归档

QUESTIONS

Read the statements. Then listen to the news and decide whether the statements are true (T) or false (F).

1. Young people got the message that the virus isn’t only dangerous for old people.

2. Laurie Garrett now runs an initiative on communication and sustainability at Columbia University's Earth Institute.

3. Many politicians are the major vehicles of this misinformation.

4. Fifty percent of the seriously ill hospitalized people in New York City are under 50.

5. The consequences of any statement by any leader that isn't rooted in solid science is actually killing people.

KEY

Read the statements. Then listen to the news and decide whether the statements are true (T) or false (F).

(F) 1. Young people got the message that the virus isn’t only dangerous for old people.

（正确表达）Young people got the message that the virus is only dangerous for old people.

(F) 2. Laurie Garrett now runs an initiative on communication and sustainability at Columbia University's Earth Institute. （正确表达） Andrew Revkin now runs an initiative on communication and sustainability at Columbia University's Earth Institute.

(T) 3. Many politicians are the major vehicles of this misinformation.

(F) 4. Fifty percent of the seriously ill hospitalized people in New York City are under 50. （正确表达） Forty percent of the seriously ill hospitalized people in New York City are under 50.

(T) 5. The consequences of any statement by any leader that isn't rooted in solid science is actually killing people.

 （封面图片来源于摄图网，版权归摄图网所有）