NEJM September 10, 2022
During the Covid-19 pandemic, public health decision makers haven’t always been transparent with the public, often failing to adequately explain the reasoning behind their decisions about interventions such as mask mandates, quarantine and isolation policies, mandatory testing, and transitions to remote work and learning. In many cases, public health leaders simply stated that they were “following the science,” without acknowledging that the data models they were relying on have varying degrees of accuracy and reliability, that the available evidence would evolve and require reevaluation, and that reasonable people could disagree about how to translate data into policy. In fact, officials sometimes relied on “noble lies,” intentionally misrepresenting facts in order to support their decisions, simplify communications, or maintain calm.1 Oftentimes...
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