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Opinion

The problem with the BBC’s reporting on excess deaths – The Spectator

I recall the newsroom conversations during the dark days of the pandemic only too well. They were upsetting at the time. Now, as we see a disturbing rise in excess deaths across the country, the thought of them fills me with horror and outrage.

‘You do realise these lockdowns and restrictions will end up killing people too, don’t you?’ I would say to senior editorial colleagues with something approaching desperation in my voice. ‘Sure, the virus is a serious threat to a small proportion of the population but the longer-term consequences of shutting the economy down and closing off the NHS will be deadly for huge numbers who were never at serious risk from the virus, people with years of life ahead of them. Shouldn’t we be reflecting that in our coverage? Shouldn’t we be considering the possibility that the government is going down the wrong path on this?’ 

The response of these colleagues would vary in tone, from patient but patronising good humour to open mockery. Many were influenced, I believe, by social media echo chambers (curated by pernicious algorithms). My colleagues had swallowed the myopic belief, adopted by people largely on the liberal left, that only lockdowns could ‘save lives’ and ‘protect the NHS’ from the devastation threatened by Covid-19. Anyone who demurred was, as far as they were concerned, clearly a right-wing lunatic.

Now we can all see how well that is working out. Provisional figures released this week reveal that more than 650,000 deaths were registered in the UK in 2022 – 9 per cent more than 2019. This is one of the largest excess death levels outside the pandemic in 50 years. But despite many of the causes of this being obvious, the BBC is pretending the development has come as something of a shock. 

https://web.archive.org/web/20230115091426/https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-problem-with-the-bbcs-reporting-on-excess-deaths/

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News

Excess deaths in 2022 among worst in 50 years – BBC News

More than 650,000 deaths were registered in the UK in 2022 – 9% more than 2019.

This represents one of the largest excess death levels outside the pandemic in 50 years.

Though far below peak pandemic levels, it has prompted questions about why more people are still dying than normal.

Data indicates pandemic effects on health and NHS pressures are among the leading explanations.

https://web.archive.org/web/20230110142505/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-64209221

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Alternative Media

How the pro-Ukraine NAFO troll operation crowd-funds war criminals – The Grayzone

Celebrated in mainstream US media for its anti-Russian trolling, the Twitter operation known as NAFO was founded by a Polish antisemite to raise money for a militia that has hosted war criminals, white nationalists and wanted murderers.

Whether they know it or not, anyone who has checked Twitter for recent coverage of the Ukraine proxy war has likely encountered at least one of the thousands of trolls that comprise NAFO, or the “North Atlantic Fellas Organization.” Thanks to the efforts of NAFO and its “fellas,” any journalist or prominent figure critical of Ukraine or NATO on Twitter is likely to receive hundreds of replies accusing them of being paid by Russian President Vladimir Putin (or even performing fellatio on him) from accounts with Shiba Inu dog avatars.

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News

NHS under huge strain as A&Es turn away ambulances – BBC

Over the past week, 20 NHS Accident and Emergency departments in England issued diverts, with patients taken elsewhere.

Those A&E departments still taking new patients have seen long delays, with more than 25% of ambulances waiting at least 30 minutes to handover patients.

http://archive.today/2022.04.07-133656/https://www.bbc.com/news/health-61023908

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News

Covid: React study finds latest wave ‘may have peaked’ in young – BBC

There are signs that the latest wave of Covid infections may have peaked in children and younger adults, according to scientists tracking the outbreak.

But rates in those older groups most vulnerable to severe disease are continuing to increase in England.

http://archive.today/2022.04.06-115735/https://www.bbc.com/news/health-61002492

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News

Imperial College’s Fear Machine – National Review

Imperial College’s death estimates over the years have some things in common: flawed modeling, hair-raising predictions of disaster that missed the mark, and no lessons learned.

The defining event in the history of Western Covid lockdowns occurred on March 16, 2020, with the publication of the now infamous Imperial College London Covid report, which predicted that in the “absence of any control measures or spontaneous changes in individual behaviour,” there would be 510,000 Covid deaths in Great Britain and 2.2 million in the United States. This prediction sent shock waves around the world. The next day, the U.K. media announced that the country was going into lockdown.

https://web.archive.org/web/20220331073807/https://www.nationalreview.com/2022/03/imperial-colleges-fear-machine/

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News

Britain’s Covid experts ‘misled with alarming models and abandoned objectivity’ – The Telegraph

Scientists abandoned their objectivity, misled with alarming models and failed to appreciate the damage lockdown would cause, a government adviser has claimed in a damning indictment of Britain’s pandemic response.

In his memoir, The Year The World Went Mad, Prof Woolhouse claimed that lockdowns “had surprisingly little effect” and just “deferred the problem to another day, at great cost”.

He argued that Spi-M was set up to tackle the wrong disease, influenza, and that early models were based on flu dynamics, and so mistakenly thought schools were a major driver while underrepresenting the impact of shielding.

https://web.archive.org/web/20220305142940/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/03/05/britains-covid-experts-misled-alarming-models-abandoned-objectivity/

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News

Children’s mental health: Record number referred for specialist care – BBC

More children than ever have been referred to the NHS for the most serious mental health problems, the latest figures show.

Some 409,347 under-18s were referred for specialist care for issues such as self-harm and eating disorders between April and October 2021.

That was 77% higher than the same period in 2019.

http://archive.today/2022.02.04-092323/https://www.bbc.com/news/education-60197150

Categories
Publications

Ocado cuts sick pay for unvaccinated staff – Grocery Gazette

Ocado has announced it is cutting sick pay for unvaccinated staff who must self-isolate due to exposure to Covid-19.

According to the BBC, the online grocer will continue to offer full sick pay if unvaccinated workers test positive for the virus but will reduce sick pay for exposure related isolation.

http://archive.today/2022.01.17-172326/https://www.grocerygazette.co.uk/2022/01/14/ocado-cuts-sick-pay-for-unvaccinated-staff/

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News

Omicron: Half of colds will be Covid, warn UK researchers – BBC

The Zoe Covid study team has been tracking the pandemic using feedback from the general public, and estimates half of people with cold-like symptoms actually have Covid.

They describe an “explosion” of Covid cases over the last week, driven by the new Omicron variant.

http://archive.today/2021.12.24-093600/https://www.bbc.com/news/health-59768366

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Videos

Dr Peter McCullough with Joe Rogan – The Joe Rogan Experience 1747

Dr. Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH, is a board-certified cardiologist who has testified before committees of the US and Texas Senate regarding the treatment of COVID-19 and management of the ongoing pandemic.

Backup mirrors:

Categories
News Videos

Dr Angelique Coetzee explains how she became aware of the Omicron coronavirus variant – BBC

Dr. Angelique Coetzee, the South African doctor who Omicron variant, says the symptoms are extremely mild.

Categories
News Videos

Omicron variant symptoms ‘extremely mild’, says doctor who discovered it – The Metro, BBC

The South African doctor who discovered the Omicron variant has suggested the UK may be panicking unnecessarily about the new Covid strain.

Dr Angelique Coetzee said that patients had been presenting with ‘extremely mild’ symptoms in her country, though the population there is significantly younger than in the UK.

The chair of the South African Medical Association suspects the variant is already widely in the UK but added she had not seen any confirmed cases admitted to hospital – adding that other colleagues had seen the ‘same picture’.

…She listed symptoms of Omicron as extreme tiredness, headaches and a scratchy cough – but not a loss of smell or taste.

http://archive.today/2021.11.28-151539/https://metro.co.uk/2021/11/28/omicron-variant-symptoms-extremely-mild-says-doctor-who-discovered-it-15677135/

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News

Covid vaccine: Woman who died was ‘wrongly diagnosed’ – BBC

A woman who died from “unrecognised” complications after having a Covid-19 vaccine was wrongly diagnosed with gastroenteritis, a coroner has said.

An inquest heard Michelle Barlow developed blood clots and died 16 days after having the AstraZeneca jab.

http://archive.today/2021.11.29-102246/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-manchester-59434281.amp

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News

Couple in damages fight over vaccine side effects – BBC

A woman has described how she had to learn how to talk again after she said she was left partially-paralysed due to the side effects of her Covid-19 vaccine.

Kerry Hurt, from Rotherham, suffered a stroke after undergoing surgery for a blood clot two weeks after having the AstraZeneca jab.

http://archive.today/2021.11.26-215159/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c41nlvy5x85o

Categories
News

Couple in damages fight over vaccine side effects – BBC News

At a glance

A woman has described how she had to learn how to talk again after she said she was left partially-paralysed due to the side effects of her Covid-19 vaccine.

Kerry Hurt, from Rotherham, suffered a stroke after undergoing surgery for a blood clot two weeks after having the AstraZeneca jab.

http://archive.today/2021.11.26-215159/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c41nlvy5x85o

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News

Revealed: Documents Show Bill Gates Has Given $319 Million to Media Outlets – MintPress

The Gates Foundation money going towards media programs has been split up into a number of sections, presented in descending numerical order, and includes a link to the relevant grant on the organization’s website.

…Together, these donations total $166,216,526. The money is generally directed towards issues close to the Gateses hearts. For example, the $3.6 million CNN grant went towards “report[ing] on gender equality with a particular focus on least developed countries, producing journalism on the everyday inequalities endured by women and girls across the world,” while the Texas Tribune received millions to “to increase public awareness and engagement of education reform issues in Texas.” Given that Bill is one of the charter schools’ most fervent supporters, a cynic might interpret this as planting pro-corporate charter school propaganda into the media, disguised as objective news reporting.

http://archive.today/2021.11.16-095014/https://www.mintpressnews.com/documents-show-bill-gates-has-given-319-million-to-media-outlets/278943/

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News

Climate plan urging plant-based diet shift deleted – BBC News

A government research paper recommending people “shift dietary habits” towards plant-based foods has been hastily deleted.

The paper focuses on changing public behaviour to hit climate targets and also suggests promoting domestic tourism and portraying business travel as an “immoral indulgence”.

…In a chapter in the deleted document titled “Applications to Net Zero Policy”, under the subheading “Diet Changes”, researchers recommend following the example of the sugar levy with a tax on producers or retailers of “high-carbon foods” to incentivise “reformulation and diversification” towards more plant-based and local food types.

http://archive.today/2021.10.20-142900/https://www.bbc.com/news/business-58981505

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News

Confirmed: The Mater Hospital Was NOT Full of Unvaccinated 20/30-Year-Olds on Ventilators on the 22nd July – Citizen Journalists

It remains a mystery to us why some medical staff, doctors and nurses seek to spread misinformation and, at times, lies, that only serve to heighten fear levels and panic in the community and reduce trust in Public Health messaging.

One can only guess why Emma Browne decided to spread disinformation. Maybe her intentions were honourable, and she felt some mistruths were worth the price if her end goal, that of seeing more people vaccinated, was helped along a little? Maybe, like others we have exposed, her aim was to raise her own social media profile and make herself relevant to the discussion? Given that less than 2 weeks after she made these claims she left her position at the Mater, this may suggest Emma was happy to take the chance of spreading disinformation as she was leaving her role at the hospital anyway.

http://archive.today/2021.10.07-051502/https://citizenjournos.com/2021/10/06/confirmed-the-mater-hospital-was-not-full-of-unvaccinated-20-30-year-olds-on-ventilators-on-the-22nd-july/

Categories
Opinion

Is Long Covid a myth? – Spiked

So, it seems that Long Covid is not as widespread as we were told it was. More importantly – and, yes, this is the more difficult thing to discuss – maybe Long Covid is not as real as we were told it was, either. Maybe the fairly typical problems that a minority of people experience after a virus were, in this case, unjustifiably blown up into a whole new sickness. Alongside examining the measurable, physical prevalence of long-lasting symptoms in people who have been infected with Covid – something it is very important for society to do – we must also analyse the cultural components to Long Covid. How much did the culture of fear around Long Covid help to convince people that they had it? And did a broader culture of victimhood likewise help to coax people to self-identify as suffering from this new, seemingly fascinating ailment, and even to embrace Long Covid as a kind of identity?

http://archive.today/2021.09.19-082125/https://www.spiked-online.com/2021/09/17/is-long-covid-a-myth/