Public Health is Dead

• Bad Press: How the media manufactures consent in the age of COVID

  Most people get a lot of what they know about public health from what’s in the news. But what’s in the news—and the way it’s talked about—is not always clear or accurate. This episode tracks how the media has contributed to the alarming decline of public health and played a role in blocking meaningful understanding and action on COVID. What is reported and how it's framed can have a huge impact on what people think and how they behave. And if public health leaders are the ones sending foggy messages through unquestioning journalists, it becomes difficult to address collective health threats—now and in the future.  The interplay between public health institutions, politicians, and the media is so powerful it affects who suffers, who survives, and who doesn’t. And with the certainty of future pandemics coming along, honest and clear news media that serves the public can be a lifeline. It’s long past time to change the COVID narrative. We talk to journalist, Julia Doubleday of The Gauntlet and researcher/science communicator, Kayli Jamieson about media narratives, propaganda, and why it's become so hard to get good COVID coverage as the pandemic smoulders on. This episode also features Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, former Technical Lead for COVID-19 at the World Health Organization.  Note: When this episode discusses communications about COVID vaccines and effectiveness, it refers to mRNA vaccines against COVID generally. Presently, other vaccines like Novavax, which may perform better in some measures, are unavailable in Canada. Find Julia at thegauntlet.news and Kayli on Instagram @wandering We had some audio recording and technical issues with this episode but pulled through thanks to the painstaking work of our amazing mixer/sound designer/musician, Alexandria Maillot. The transcript is available on the ​episode webpage​. CREDITS Huge thanks to the Skeleton Crew for all their work on this episode: Hosted, produced, written, edited by Daniella BarretoMusic, Mixing, and Sound Design by Alexandria MaillotScript editing by Lauren M. and Kevin BallFact checking by Anika Sharma and Roanne G.Additional music by Alex Productions, sound byte "Freaky Halloween"RESOURCESSome articles by Julia Doubleday: "How the press manufactured consent for never-ending COVID reinfections""Institutional COVID denial has killed public health as we knew it. Prepare to lose several centuries of progress.""Liberals joined conservatives to mainstream anti-vax beliefs about viruses and public health"This episode is in memory of Leslie Lee III and Alice Wong — fierce public health and disability justice advocates. Leslie was living with Long COVID. They both encouraged me to keep making this podcast. May we all keep working towards the world they were fighting for. - DB This is an independent, listener-supported show. If you like what you hear, and you'd like to support production costs for more of Public Health is Dead, visit publichealthisdead.com!

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• PHMC - Measles on the Backburner

  Canada could lose its measles elimination status, which says a lot about the state of public health overall. Media coverage leaves much to be desired when it comes to informing the public about measles vaccines, airborne transmission, and social determinants of health, especially with a new school year beginning. Daniella & MJ chew over the hits, swings, and misses in a recent measles episode of CBC Frontburner ("Canada has a measles problem", May 16, 2025). ResourcesHow Mennonite women are building bridges between public health and community amid measles outbreak(As referenced in the episode, here [from 22:22] is Dr. Bonnie Henry's November 2024 presser on H5N1 saying she finds the word "pandemic" triggering in her role as a public health leader.)CREDITSPublic Health Media Club is a crossover public health show hosted by Daniella (of Public Health is Dead) and MJ (of Everything is Public Health). All audio editing by MJ.To PHID listeners: ~Thanks for listening to this late summer crossover! Public Health is Dead post-summer production will be ramping up again. The horrors persist but so do we~ This is an independent, listener-supported show. If you like what you hear, and you'd like to support production costs for more of Public Health is Dead, visit publichealthisdead.com!

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• PHMC - Still Masking After All These Years

  This is Public Health Media Club—a chatty and critical exchange about public health in the media!Daniella (of "Public Health is Dead") & MJ (of "Everything is Public Health") do a crossover episode about COVID, people still masking, and "The Science"! First up, from the Atlantic: The Evermaskers (archived link). *This episode pairs nicely with the previous special episode on Public Health is Dead, "But My Therapist Said"*IMPORTANT: Let us know if you like this format! And if you want us to continue making crossover episodes like this. Of course, there's a lot to talk about since Everything is Public Health and Public Health is Dead. Follow MJ's show "Everything is Public Health" here.  This is an independent, listener-supported show. If you like what you hear, and you'd like to support production costs for more of Public Health is Dead, visit publichealthisdead.com!

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• SPECIAL: "But My Therapist Said"—COVID-Informed Therapists Chat

  Ever heard anyone say they can't care about COVID anymore because it's bad for their mental health? Or their therapist said people still masking have "COVID anxiety"?Well, here are three mental health professionals who have a thing or two to say about that! Meet Pierre, Briana, and Ji-Youn, who share their perspectives on what the Western therapy world is often missing when it comes to COVID and collective care.Like we often say on the show, all systems of oppression are connected.NOTE: We recorded this conversation in early November 2024. This chat special is a bit of a departure from the regular narrative style episodes you’re used to on Public Health is Dead but you are in for some gems. It reaffirms choosing to care about each other by resisting COVID, ableism, and white supremacy. "We keep us safe" has to mean something!(00:00) Introduction(02:50) Meet Briana, Pierre, and Ji-Youn(06:00) Is "COVID anxiety" a real thing?(10:49) What does years of public health abandonment do to us collectively?(14:00) Collective care and what we owe each other(23:33) Relationship breakdowns(39:31) How to have COVID conversations/set your own boundaries(53:10) Messages to other therapists(59:58) SPEAK ON IT, PIERRE!! (if you listen to nothing else, listen to this!)Find Pierre at Queering Psychology, Briana at her website, and Ji-Youn at their website. CREDITSPublic Health is Dead is created, hosted, written and produced by Daniella BarretoOutro music for this episode by Alexandria Maillot N.B. It’s a bad idea for you to take medical advice from podcasts. Good thing this show does not offer medical advice! The point of Public Health is Dead is to share experiences and information that might help public health as a field and increase our collective knowledge. As always, if you have particular personal medical concerns of your own you should talk to your own medical providers. This is an independent, listener-supported show. If you like what you hear, and you'd like to support production costs for more of Public Health is Dead, visit publichealthisdead.com!

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• How to Stop an Epidemic: When SARS Came to the ER

  In March 2003, one SARS patient showed up in a Vancouver emergency room and another went to a Toronto emergency room. But two very different sequences of events unfolded.Dr. Lyne Filiatrault was working in the Vancouver ER that day. Her team leapt into action and—with a little luck and a lot of preparation—prevented SARS from spreading at the hospital. A government agency immediately put in protections and built a firewall against SARS in BC, protecting staff, patients, and the public. Nobody died.In Toronto, however, SARS exploited a system unprepared for the unknown. It was the largest outbreak outside Asia. It shook the city and left healthcare workers and patients under-informed and under-protected. 44 people died. Many more contracted it as it was left to smoulder beneath shoddy protections.In the aftermath, the SARS Commission report detailed the far-reaching failures in Toronto and how great work from healthcare workers and science advisors staved off a far worse outcome. The report laid out instructions for how to avoid such a preventable public health tragedy in the future. Hear how Dr. Filiatrault and her team put the precautionary principle into practice against SARS in 2003, what public health can still learn from this story for the events of today, and what we need from good public health leaders heading into a future where more pandemics threaten us all.TRANSCRIPT HERE(04:26) Chapter 1: Vancouver - Dr. Filiatrault's story(18:34) Chapter 2: Toronto - A city unprepared(35:58) Chapter 3: What makes a good public health response?(50:01) Chapter 4: Safety at work(53:05) Chapter 5: What's in a good public health leader?*Correction: throughout this episode I refer to Scarborough Grace Hospital as Scarborough General Hospital, which is incorrect. Scarborough Grace Hospital is now called Birchmount Hospital and exists under the umbrella of the Scarborough Health Network, which also includes a Scarborough General Hospital.LINKS/RESOURCESWhat makes a good public health leader​SARS Commission Final ReportCREDITSPublic Health is Dead is created, hosted, produced, written and edited by Daniella Barreto.Music, sound design and mixing by Alexandria Maillot.Fact checking and production support from Anika S.Editing support from Kevin Ball, Anika S. and Lauren M.*As this episode mentions, a disproportionate number of healthcare workers who keep the system running in Canada are Filipino. The Filipino community in Vancouver is reeling from a violent attack at this year's Lapu Lapu festival. Much of the healthcare we have access to in Canada works because of the frontline labour of Filipino people, many who are women and immigrants. If you can, instead of chipping in to support this episode, please consider sending funds to the ​community-led Kapwa fund ​*to support people affected by this awful event.**\---N.B. It’s a bad idea for you to take medical advice from podcasts. Good thing this show does not offer medical advice! The point of Public Health is Dead is to share experiences and information that might help public health as a field and increase our collective knowledge. As always, if you have particular personal medical concerns of your own you should talk to your own medical providers about it because I am just a voice in your headphones. (Service providers might also benefit from the contents of this show.) This is an independent, listener-supported show. If you like what you hear, and you'd like to support production costs for more of Public Health is Dead, visit publichealthisdead.com!

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