• kae@lemmy.caEnglish
    25·
    1 year ago

    This article is not about a lab curated disease, but about how doctors in Wuhan were aware early that the virus was transmitting person to person, despite what the government was saying publicly.

    The authoritarian nature of the Chinese government meant that they were muzzled and unable to speak freely.

    • 4dpuzzle@beehaw.orgEnglish
      5·
      1 year ago

      but about how doctors in Wuhan were aware early that the virus was transmitting

      We all know about the story of Dr. Li Wenliang. I don’t understand why WaPo thinks they found something new. Thanks for saving a click!

    • JCPhoenix@beehaw.orgMEnglish
      6·
      1 year ago

      While the PSA is appreciated, both the submission title AND the article title itself also say “Opinion,” right at the beginning. It’s clearly and appropriately marked as such.

      That said…it might be worth having this discussion on Opinions/OpEds in general. As one one of the mods here, I’m personally OK with Opinion pieces as long as they’re clearly marked, as it is here. But I’m curious what others have to say about this.

      Are people interested in getting rid of them altogether? Keeping them as long as they’re easily marked and easily noticed? Keeping them even if not marked? Don’t care?

      • kae@lemmy.caEnglish
        2·
        1 year ago

        Leave it be. There’s nothing wrong with non-sensational opinion articles. In this case, the article brings together fact and inference about the Chinese government to make a statement.

        I suspect most of the “PSA” individuals didn’t read the article itself, which is a part of a larger coverage on authoritarian regimes around the world.

  • Omegamanthethird@beehaw.org
    8·
    1 year ago

    Everyone knows the Chinese government lied about the virus. It would be more surprising if they hadn’t threatened the doctors.

    This wouldn’t be newsworthy even if it wasn’t an Opinion piece.