The Atlantic Lost Its Fact Checkers The Present Illness podcast

17d ago 1:00:36

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The doctors perform an emergency triage on the state of public health leadership this week, starting with a scathing dissection of The Atlantic's profile of RFK Jr. that seemingly skipped the fact-checking department. Drs. Salles and Burgart administer a strong dose of reality as they examine how mainstream media continues to platform dangerous health misinformation with fewer guardrails than a pediatric rollercoaster.

Their differential diagnosis extends to the newest clown to emerge from the Clown Car of Public Health - the CDC's latest deputy director Ralph Lee Abraham. An avid COVID vaccine skeptic with min-bogglingly illogical public health positions, we're in for more shenanigans out of the nation's top health administration.

Between discussions of pertussis vaccine efficacy and the EPA's concerning moves on PFAS, asbestos, and air pollution regulations, this episode delivers a thorough examination of how public health leadership impacts everyday Americans - no insurance preauthorization required.

Joy: Take Two And Call Me In The Morning

Alyssa recommends the dark comedy show, Pluribus (AppleTV)
"Just look at the degree on that chick" and Dr. Turner’s post on Twitter
Distractingly Sexy - I can’t believe this trend is from 2015… In response to Nobel scientist Tim Hunt stating, “Let me tell you about my trouble with girls … three things happen when they are in the lab … You fall in love with them, they fall in love with you and when you criticise them, they cry.”)

Fact check:

The large study Arghavan mentioned was Danish, not Swedish. Apologies!

Links

The Atlantic article about RFK Jr
The New Yorker article by Tatiana Schlossberg
Information about the pertussis vaccine (as part of Tdap); adults should get a booster every 10 years
More on Ralph Abraham, the new CDC Deputy Director
On the Trump administration’s approval of PFAS
On the Trump administration’s moves regarding particle pollution
On the Trump administration’s moves regarding asbestos in talc
To learn more about

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Credits

Production by Arghavan Salles and Alyssa Burgart
Editing by Alyssa Burgart
Theme Music by Joseph Uphoff
Social Media by Arghavan Salles

Chapters

1. The Atlantic Lost Its Fact Checkers (00:00:00)

2. The Atlantic's Profile of RFK Jr. (00:01:05)

3. RFK Jr read 70 articles? (00:15:37)

4. Alyssa is up in the airways (00:23:52)

5. Still COVID Conscience (00:26:59)

6. Tatiana Schlossberg's New Yorker essay (00:28:50)

7. The MAHA Scam (00:38:46)

8. A New Clown Emerges: Ralph Lee Abraham (00:42:39)

9. Not Board Certified (00:52:09)

10. All Creatures Great and Small - TPI Style (00:53:21)

11. Joy: Take Two and Call Me in The Morning (00:55:15)

12 episodes