Adriaan Basson makes an interesting admission. That he will not verify facts if he believes the person who said them and he regards them as an authority on the subject.

Interesting because Dr Mkhize, a medical doctor himself, had to bring out his experts on television to gain legitimacy and believability when others began questioning the lockdown. It marvels me then that others bypass that rigor and are believed on the face of it.

I wonder at what level does one never need to bring evidence to support their claims. That they can comfortably thumb suck and are still lauded experts. And also just lie about such a basic thing. Lockdown could have exacerbated malnutrition it did not by any means create it.

If this is the quality of our news-making we ought to be really concerned.

https://m.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/unscientific-and-nonsensical-top-scientific-adviser-slams-governments-lockdown-strategy-20200516
Such an audacious headline

“We are seeing children with malnutrition for the first time [at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital]. We have not seen malnutrition for decades and so we are seeing it for the first time in the hospital,”.

I mean it’s a lie.

On the face of it, it cannot be true.