Presenting or Spinning Facts? Deconstructing the U.S. Centers for Disease Control Statement on the Importance of Reopening Schools Under COVID-19
Credible, reliable and consistent information to the public, as well as health professionals and decision makers, is crucial to help navigate uncertainty and risk in times of crisis and concern. Traditionally, information and health communications issued by respected and established government agenc...
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doaj-f424491f42f745e69dcc1a1c08b245d82021-03-09T06:41:33ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652021-03-01910.3389/fpubh.2021.645229645229Presenting or Spinning Facts? Deconstructing the U.S. Centers for Disease Control Statement on the Importance of Reopening Schools Under COVID-19Habib Benzian0Habib Benzian1Habib Benzian2Marilyn Johnston3Nicole Stauf4Richard Niederman5Department of Epidemiology & Health Promotion, World Health Organization Collaborating Center, College of Dentistry, New York University, New York, NY, United StatesThe Health Bureau Ltd Consultants for Global Health, Buckingham, United KingdomDepartment of Epidemiology & Health Promotion, College of Dentistry, New York University, New York, NY, United StatesIndependent Researcher, Berlin, GermanyThe Health Bureau Ltd Consultants for Global Health, Buckingham, United KingdomDepartment of Epidemiology & Health Promotion, College of Dentistry, New York University, New York, NY, United StatesCredible, reliable and consistent information to the public, as well as health professionals and decision makers, is crucial to help navigate uncertainty and risk in times of crisis and concern. Traditionally, information and health communications issued by respected and established government agencies have been regarded as factual, unbiased and credible. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is such an agency that addresses all aspects of health and public health on behalf of the U.S Government for the benefit of its citizens. In July 2020, the CDC issued guidelines on reopening schools which resulted in open criticism by the U.S. President and others, prompting a review and publication of revised guidelines together with a special “Statement on the Importance of Reopening Schools under COVID-19.” We hypothesize that this statement introduced bias with the intention to shift the public perception and media narrative in favor of reopening of schools. Using a mixed methods approach, including an online text analysis tool, we demonstrate that document title and structure, word frequencies, word choice, and website presentation did not provide a balanced account of the complexity and uncertainty surrounding school reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite available scientific guidance and practical evidence-based advice on how to manage infection risks when reopening schools, the CDC Statement was intentionally overriding possible parent and public health concerns. The CDC Statement provides an example of how political influence is exercised over the presentation of science in the context of a major pandemic. It was withdrawn by the CDC in November 2020.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2021.645229/fullCOVID-19disaster communicationpublic health guidanceschool safetyreopeningpolitical bias |
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language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Habib Benzian Habib Benzian Habib Benzian Marilyn Johnston Nicole Stauf Richard Niederman |
spellingShingle |
Habib Benzian Habib Benzian Habib Benzian Marilyn Johnston Nicole Stauf Richard Niederman Presenting or Spinning Facts? Deconstructing the U.S. Centers for Disease Control Statement on the Importance of Reopening Schools Under COVID-19 Frontiers in Public Health COVID-19 disaster communication public health guidance school safety reopening political bias |
author_facet |
Habib Benzian Habib Benzian Habib Benzian Marilyn Johnston Nicole Stauf Richard Niederman |
author_sort |
Habib Benzian |
title |
Presenting or Spinning Facts? Deconstructing the U.S. Centers for Disease Control Statement on the Importance of Reopening Schools Under COVID-19 |
title_short |
Presenting or Spinning Facts? Deconstructing the U.S. Centers for Disease Control Statement on the Importance of Reopening Schools Under COVID-19 |
title_full |
Presenting or Spinning Facts? Deconstructing the U.S. Centers for Disease Control Statement on the Importance of Reopening Schools Under COVID-19 |
title_fullStr |
Presenting or Spinning Facts? Deconstructing the U.S. Centers for Disease Control Statement on the Importance of Reopening Schools Under COVID-19 |
title_full_unstemmed |
Presenting or Spinning Facts? Deconstructing the U.S. Centers for Disease Control Statement on the Importance of Reopening Schools Under COVID-19 |
title_sort |
presenting or spinning facts? deconstructing the u.s. centers for disease control statement on the importance of reopening schools under covid-19 |
publisher |
Frontiers Media S.A. |
series |
Frontiers in Public Health |
issn |
2296-2565 |
publishDate |
2021-03-01 |
description |
Credible, reliable and consistent information to the public, as well as health professionals and decision makers, is crucial to help navigate uncertainty and risk in times of crisis and concern. Traditionally, information and health communications issued by respected and established government agencies have been regarded as factual, unbiased and credible. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is such an agency that addresses all aspects of health and public health on behalf of the U.S Government for the benefit of its citizens. In July 2020, the CDC issued guidelines on reopening schools which resulted in open criticism by the U.S. President and others, prompting a review and publication of revised guidelines together with a special “Statement on the Importance of Reopening Schools under COVID-19.” We hypothesize that this statement introduced bias with the intention to shift the public perception and media narrative in favor of reopening of schools. Using a mixed methods approach, including an online text analysis tool, we demonstrate that document title and structure, word frequencies, word choice, and website presentation did not provide a balanced account of the complexity and uncertainty surrounding school reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite available scientific guidance and practical evidence-based advice on how to manage infection risks when reopening schools, the CDC Statement was intentionally overriding possible parent and public health concerns. The CDC Statement provides an example of how political influence is exercised over the presentation of science in the context of a major pandemic. It was withdrawn by the CDC in November 2020. |
topic |
COVID-19 disaster communication public health guidance school safety reopening political bias |
url |
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2021.645229/full |
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