Stop It...Just Stop It!!

In our newly sequestered lives I decided to add HBO for some variety and escapism, and also because I had been wanting for quite a while to watch the docudrama miniseries Chernobyl. In just the first three episodes I was involuntarily hurled back to our COVID existence given the similarities between that Soviet disaster and what we are experiencing today.

The arrogance in the way the Soviet bureaucracy responded to the accident, the denial of science, the refusal to err on the side of caution, the need to assess blame, unashamed disregard for public safety, a deficiency of preparedness, lack of transparency, and just general incompetence has been played out in the United States, albeit in slow-motion by comparison.

It is a perfectly reasonable argument to suggest we need to set aside anger and focus on making the absolute best from where we currently find ourselves, that there will be plenty of time to deal with the folly of our history. However, the tragedy of our Federal Government’s ineptitude is ongoing and we need it fixed, not tomorrow…yesterday.

There are two critical pieces that need repair immediately: communication and trust.

I have tried to slog my eyes and mind through the daily “briefings” being conducted by Donald Trump, but no more. I am disappointed in myself in waiting for the ordination of Jared Kushner, the latest principal in dealing with this pandemic, to be the last straw…but he is. It has been a confusing political sideshow, as we watch the walls around us go up in flames. Even Dr. Anthony Fauci has succumbed to soft pedaling his observations so as not to induce El Duce’s ire.

However, just my or others turning away from the clown car is not enough. Not nearly enough.

We are not in the Soviet Union of 1986 or even authoritarian Russia today. It is time in this crisis for the American Fourth Estate to search way down deep and see if there are any cojones still dangling from their respective observations. The major news networks ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, BBC, and (yes even) FOX, need to join forces and provide our Nation with competency and transparency, with as little bias as possible.

First, they need to stop broadcasting the Trump Show. They are under no requirement feed the public the political drivel, administrative confusion, and misstatements that flow from those broadcasts. Summaries can be reported later. In fact, they should require that, given this is an election year; any live broadcasts must result in equal time by someone in the Democratic Party.

Second, the networks need to assemble a panel of experts, perhaps three or four, primarily in epidemiology but also in logistics (this could include Fauci representing the Trump Administration), to provide daily briefings and answer questions from the press. These briefings would be broadcast by each network.

It is fine if Evangelicals want to prepare for Armageddon, or Right-Wing conspiracy nuts want to wear tin foil hats, but the rest of us need more. This slow-motion Chernobyl we’re living through right now is likely to last for months, and its ramifications will probably mirror the progression of cancers that Ukrainians still face today.

Our first defense to this emergency is reality, truth, and candor. Give the Nation what it needs. Stop the sideshow…just stop it!!