love* in the time of plague (and by love* i mean brexit* and other dreary matters of uk politics)

For the front page of the site to just not be mentioning that UK swaths have overtaken Italy is...

Sorry. I forgot that journalism has misread the mood of the nation.

i feel like at this point it's fair to assume there are some pretty nasty bad faith actors somewehre in the BBC's news editorial staff

It's a massive but woefully under-prioritised issue in digital info design and online journalism generally. When stories are shared even if the date is visible on the page itself it's not in the 'capsule' that people see on social media which is usually just the headline, main picture and opening sentence. The date of publication and any acknowledgement that the story has since been updated or contains out of date info are usually tiny and easily missed. Integrating them so that they at least appear at the start of the main article text itself might improve things but probably not going to happen any time soon. The story can easily be shared second-handedly with that information removed but most news organisations either haven't got to grips with the problem or are actively encouraging it.

For the front page of the site to just not be mentioning that UK swaths have overtaken Italy is...

I'm conflicted about this. That Guardian line is spun – the comparisons aren't like-for-like (Italy's numbers don't include suspected cases, our numbers are based only on death certificate wording, etc). They'd be open to criticism for pushing a comparison that doesn't fully stand up. The BBC isn't alone in noting but essentially ignoring it – the FT is too, and they've been all over the appropriate comparisons.

But the wider point — that it's being generally underplayed quite how shockingly bad things are here – is bang-on

Isn’t the FT arguing that the catastrophic death count has been dramatically undercounted though?

When you consider the death rate in terms of the size of the population the UK isn't the worst in Europe. I didn't realise Belgium was doing so badly.

https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/data/mortality

speaking of chucking world news stories onto the front page without context, the Guardian has been publishing local Australian stories into its main feeds for YEARS now with zero indication that that's where it's from - still catches me out sometimes. i'm like 'there's a massive forest fire in wales????'

Obviously that's not an excuse, Germany has a significantly larger population than both the UK and Italy and is doing a lot better - allowing for regional mistakes made in easing the lockdown of course.

"Belgium was doing so badly."

there might be a correlation between high c-19 death rates and countries with lousy domestic cuisine!

there's a general impression of european countries 'easing' their lockdowns, often with little in the way of detail when reported in the news, that contributes towards a feeling that this is the time, everyone else is doing it.. but in france and spain their easing only gets them to about where the uk is now i.e. restaurants doing takeaway, kids allowed in parks, some people allowed to travel for work etc. By these standards we've been 'eased' the entire time!

Belgium apparently is more inclusive in its data so I'm not sure they are actually 'the worst'.

speaking of chucking world news stories onto the front page without context, the Guardian has been publishing local Australian stories into its main feeds for YEARS now with zero indication that that's where it's from - still catches me out sometimes. i'm like 'there's a massive forest fire in wales????'

Yeah, I don't think it's clear to a lot of people in the UK that compared with other countries in Europe much of the UK hasn't really had a lockdown at all

Yeah but the freedom-loving* Brits can’t be held to the same standards as Jean Foreigner and Paddy Gobackwards.

*except in the case of countries formerly part of the empire lol

Attacks against Chinese on the increase in the UK.

https://news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-hate-crimes-against-chinese-people-soar-in-uk-during-covid-19-crisis-11979388

i for one am impressed with how malleable the great british public's racist violence is

there might be a correlation between high c-19 death rates and countries with lousy domestic cuisine!

― calzino, Tuesday, May 5, 2020 11:44 AM (four hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

got to pull you up on this one Calz, Belgium is one of the best places to eat in the world IME

Christ I hate this guy so fucking much

I will respectfully challenge the Government - I want our country to succeed.

However, I will not 'watch my tone' when dozens of NHS and care staff are dying unnecessarily.

A clip of my Q to the Health Sec today. pic.twitter.com/5jjQRXyIm3

— Dr Rosena Allin-Khan (@DrRosena) May 5, 2020

Also where does that thesis leave Italy and Spain? The US, you may have a point.
xpost

I thought Belgium's national dish is oven chips with blood sausage or something!

it’s beer iirc

best chips in the world, with the possible exception of the Netherlands

Here's more songs about chocolate and beer.

Christ I hate this guy so fucking much

That praise from Tom Watson has gone to his head.

That Allin-Khan video has been shared all over the place today, just terrible judgement from Hancock.

The BBC is now going with 'Highest Death Toll In Europe' as its main story.

Seriously though, I do think Hancock's ego has been puffed up by getting smoke blown up his arse over his incredible unprecedented success with testing.

and his brilliant Rona app that he says is everyone's duty to download ... yeah I'd rather actually install a disease

You wouldn’t download a disease would you?

I haven’t been following; why is this app so much worse than eg Facebook or GMaps?

The only people who'll download it will be Tories! Might give skewed data on the viral spread. Fuck that anyway, I'd be as likely to download an app from HMRC tbh.

"You wouldn’t download a disease would you?"

I've been trying force my pc to develop immunity to Putin bitcoin mining trojans by downloading movies from dodgy disreputable torrent sites for years now .. so sort of!

belgian chips are mad overrated

They certainly don't look anything special.

When a creep like MH says it is one's duty to dl this Rona app an internal switch clicks in me where I've just switched that app off forever.

if Hat Mancock told you not to jump off a cliff would you do it?

Only if I had Steer Marmaluke chained to me!

well played

I meant Then I would jump off a cliff even if he told me not to!

Negativity problems itt

the far right are in government now

turns out gove’s a big old fascist, shocking I know

Holy fucking shit. As well as Irving Michael Gove has books from prominent French New Right authors (fascists). Here's Why We Fight by Guillaume Faye - a core reading for new recruits of Generation Identiy. Before his death Faye spoke at events hosted by Richard Spencer https://t.co/BSnWNTbegj

— 12 Rules For WHAT (@12rulesforwhat) May 5, 2020

real nerd shit

Holy fucking shit. As well as Irving Michael Gove has books from prominent French New Right authors (fascists). Here's Why We Fight by Guillaume Faye - a core reading for new recruits of Generation Identiy. Before his death Faye spoke at events hosted by Richard Spencer https://t.co/BSnWNTbegj

— 12 Rules For WHAT (@12rulesforwhat) May 5, 2020

oops sorry

all tories are fascists at this point afaic

I see now I’m late to the party as usual

🔴Exclusive: Government scientist Neil Ferguson resigns after breaking lockdown rules to meet his married lover https://t.co/eLOfVjgHPL

— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) May 5, 2020

the bookshelf of a true galaxy brain:

https://cdn.images.dailystar.co.uk/dynamic/1/photos/459000/Thomas-Mair-s-bookshelf-721459.jpg

This is essentially making constructive dismissal easier, and will let companies advertise the same roles for less pay

— Dawn Foster (@DawnHFoster) May 5, 2020

lol that mair houses his gerald posner oswald-did-it-alone jfk books along with all the nazi stuff

belgian chips are mad overrated
― The Cognitive Peasant (ogmor), Tuesday, May 5, 2020 6:14 PM (forty-two minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

belgian beer otoh

Wasn't aware Belgian chips had any kind of rep except when they came with mussels.

Wait I just remembered there's a literal Frites Museum in Bruges.

Among Mair's other nazi possessions was a dvd of that HBO movie about the Wannssee conference with Branagh playing Heydrich and him from shameless playing some nazi fucker I cant recall! His Britain First brainworms version of Batman Begins or something perhaps.