Discussion on the erosion of trust in public health institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic due to mistakes and lack of transparency, emphasizing the need to rebuild trust through transparency, open communication, and engagement at the local level. Reflection on the administration's handling of vaccine mandates, Supreme Court decision on federal communication with social media platforms about COVID disinformation, and managing misinformation on social media platforms responsibly through partnerships.
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy isn’t afraid to go after powerful interests. In mid-June, he published an op-ed in The New York Times calling for a warning label on social media platforms that says they’re associated with mental health problems for teens. The following week, he declared that gun violence is a public health crisis. However, the surgeon general's powers are limited. It'll take an act of Congress to put a warning label on social media platforms, and thanks to the Roberts court, even legislators are limited in their ability to regulate firearms.
Kara and Dr. Murthy discuss this country's seemingly intractable gun problem and the debate around the research into the harms caused by social media, along with his work on loneliness, and how Covid has eroded trust in the public health sector.
Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find Kara on Instagram/Threads as @karaswisher
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