- Lockdowns during COVID-19 caused more harm than good, with studies showing devastating impacts on mental health, education, and the economy.
- Media and tech platforms censored and mocked critics of lockdowns.
- Research reveals lockdowns were ten times deadlier than the virus itself, measured by years of life lost due to collateral damage.
- Trust in public health institutions has eroded due to the media’s failure to critically examine lockdown policies in real-time.
- The lockdown era highlights the dangers of unchecked government power and the need for accountability to prevent future mistakes.
Five years after the COVID-19 pandemic upended the world, the mainstream media is finally acknowledging what many conservatives and skeptics warned from the start: Lockdowns caused far more harm than good.
This belated admission comes after years of relentless mockery, censorship, and deplatforming of those who dared to question the wisdom of extreme measures like forced masking, school closures, and business shutdowns. Now, as studies reveal the devastating collateral damage of these policies, the media’s delayed reckoning raises serious questions about its role in silencing dissent and promoting fear-driven narratives.
The lockdown disaster: A costly experiment
In 2020, as the pandemic spread, governments worldwide implemented unprecedented lockdowns to curb the virus. These measures were justified by “experts” like Dr. Anthony Fauci and political leaders who warned of a “dark winter” if Americans didn’t comply. Yet, five years later, the data tells a different story. A groundbreaking study commissioned by Revolver News found that lockdowns were ten times more deadly than the virus itself, measured in terms of years of life lost due to economic devastation, mental health crises, and social isolation.
The study’s findings have since been echoed by a growing body of research. Schools closures led to catastrophic learning losses, with students still half a grade behind in math and reading. Mental health crises, particularly among young people, skyrocketed, with anxiety, depression, and suicide rates reaching alarming levels. Small businesses shuttered, livelihoods were destroyed, and social bonds frayed under the weight of prolonged isolation.
The media’s role in suppressing the truth
What’s most galling is how the media treated those who raised concerns about lockdowns. Conservatives, scientists, and everyday citizens who questioned the efficacy of these measures were labeled “conspiracy theorists,” censored on social media, and even deplatformed. Figures like Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, who co-authored the Great Barrington Declaration opposing lockdowns, faced vicious backlash and death threats. Facebook and Twitter silenced dissenting voices, while public health officials like Dr. Fauci and Dr. Francis Collins dismissed alternative viewpoints as dangerous.
Now, the same media outlets that once championed lockdowns are cautiously admitting their failures. The Boston Globe recently published a piece questioning whether the trade-offs of lockdowns were worth it, citing studies that show the policies did little to slow the virus while inflicting immense collateral damage. Even some former lockdown supporters, like Cambridge Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui, now express doubts about the decisions made in 2020.
The lockdown era showed us the dangers of unchecked government power and the media’s complicity in amplifying fear. The media’s failure to critically examine these policies in real-time has had lasting consequences. Trust in public health institutions has eroded, and the public is now more skeptical of “expert” advice than ever before. As Dr. Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert, admitted, “The lockdowns were never really effective, and the confusion around them sowed a great deal of public distrust in government.”
The lockdown debacle serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of sacrificing liberty for the illusion of safety. The media’s delayed admission of failure is cold comfort to the millions who suffered under these policies. What’s needed now is accountability—not just for the politicians and public health officials who pushed these measures, but for the media outlets that silenced dissent and spread fear.
As we face the possibility of future pandemics, we must remember the lessons of COVID-19: Question authority, reject propaganda, and never let fear dictate policy. The lockdowns were a catastrophic mistake, and the best way to ensure they never happen again is to hold those responsible to account — and to never forget the price we paid for their hubris.
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