On October 17, 2023 I submitted an adapted version of the letter below to the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) concerning the origin of SARS-Co-V-2. Notes in [square brackets] have been added, for those not familiar with the ABC, and Australia more broadly. Most of the links have also been added. Parts of the text have been slightly expanded.
Dear Sir/Ms
I listened and read, with dismay, to the talk and transcript by journalist Ella Finkel [a science journalist who is the partner of Alan Finkel, a former Australian chief scientist whose original scientific training was electrical engineering], concerning the origin of SARS-CoV-2. This was first broadcast on October 14, 2023.
In summary, The Science Show [Australia's most prestigious and durable radio programme for science] has presented a biased version of events, worsened by the editorialising of Robyn Williams [the show's host since 1975] that "her sources are impeccable. .. Norman Swan [the presenter of a companion ABC programme called The Health Report] has read her summing-up and says it's spot on."
It is far too soon to conclude the origin of COVID-19
There are numerous remarks made by Ms Finkel which suggest the debate is far more settled than it actually is. My specific criticism of some of her comments are detailed in the two twitter threads (one of 11, the other of 4 parts). There are numerous points that I have discussed in these threads; there are several more which (at least for now) I have not yet responded to there. I cannot – and do not seek – to do justice to them here, in 1500 words or less [the limit for formal complaints to the ABC].
Two of my own peer reviewed publications are also relevant, as well as an unusually long (c1240 word, 32 refs) letter published in the Lancet in 2021, which I was substantially responsible for (these listed after my signature, below, together with three other recent, relevant publications):
The ABC should stop trying to undermine scientific debate
Robyn Williams introduced Ella Finkel by reminding the audience of a plea by Professor Jagadish [a physicist], the current president of the Australian Academy of Science, to "stop undermining our scientists".
My
plea to journalists is "stop trying to undermine scientific debate".
Comparing the SARS-Co-V-2 debate with that re the origin and prevention of puerperal fever
An analogy for the current dispute concerning the origin of SARS-Co-V-2 is to consider an imaginary journalistic report on the debate concerning the transmission of puerperal (post-partum or “childbed”) fever, written in about 1855, while the dispute still raged. (This burned for about 25 years in the mid-19th century, though its origins are much earlier.)
In this imaginary comparison the journalist, well connected to the scientific establishment [as is Ella Finkel] primarily relies for sources on "the old guard" - those obstetricians - always prestigious - who found numerous reasons to reject (and sometimes belittle) the revolutionary - and unsettling - claims by both Dr Oliver Wendell Holmes, and - later, in Europe - Dr Ignaz Semmelweis and his small number of supporters (see below ** for an example). In that case the “impeccable” sources were, for many years, wrong. This example is widely known, not only to medical historians but even to some modern medical students; I’m sure Robyn William and Norman Swan have each long been aware of this. The vanity and bias of the “authorities”, in the case of puerperal fever, delayed the adoption of measures that would have saved the premature deaths of many thousands of women, and the grief of bereaved partners and children.
The
insights of Semmelweis and others (i.e. that rigorous hygiene after obstetricians leave the
autopsy room before helping to deliver a baby would reduce the risk of the
post-partum fever, often fatal in a pre-antibiotic era) are now taken for
granted. It may be difficult for us to comprehend that these insights were scoffed
at, perhaps for two decades, by most "experts", and regarded with
impatience, scepticism, hostility and incredulity.
The reticence and provincial background of Semmelweis (whose native tongue was a German dialect) added to the hostility he and his findings encountered. (In the US, Oliver Wendell Holmes - later famous primarily for his literary powers - advanced a similar theory, preceding Semmelweis - though with less evidence. He was also attacked, but perhaps with less vehemence.) There are some parallels here with the lab leak theory for COVID-19, in that some of its leading proponents have – currently - less distinguished scientific “pedigrees” compared to Prof. Eddie Holmes, whom we are told (by Ella Finkel) is the recipient of “the Croonian medal, the same one Howard Florey won for developing penicillin”. (Even so, Semmelweis achieved great scientific fame after his premature death, aged 47.)
Several eminent scientists still think a laboratory leak is plausible
Nonetheless, a growing number of scientists, some of them distinguished, do treat the laboratory origin seriously. Among them are several Australians, including Emeritus Prof. Adrian Gibbs (https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/handle/1885/12911), Prof. Peter Collignon AM (https://medicalschool.anu.edu.au/people/academic-honorary/professor-peter-collignon-am) and Prof Raina MacIntyre (research.unsw.edu.au/people/profess).
Prof Wendy Hoy AO (https://researchers.uq.edu.au/researcher/1145) has called for further clarity and investigation concerning many aspects related to COVID19, including the origin.
I can’t speak for these others but for myself I emphatically state that I regard the origin of SARS-Co-V-2 as uncertain. The opacity of the publicly available Chinese data, and their lack of co-operation, bedevil a firm conclusion (either way). Most of the evidence advanced by Ella Finkel is tenuous – and, contrary to her assertion that “the case for a natural origin grows stronger” I would say that it grows weaker. She also asserts that this is “because it relies on the convergence of different lines of scientific evidence, most of it published in top journals like Science and Nature.”
There is no doubt that “top” journals including Science, Nature and The Lancet have published articles (and, in the case of Science, at least one editorial, as well as at least one “puff piece” about one of the key actors in the debate) in support of the natural origin hypothesis; nevertheless there is a growing number of high quality papers in lesser ranked journals; eg "Association between SARS-CoV-2 and metagenomic content of samples from the Huanan Seafood Market" that provide a counter view.
One of the key “lines of evidence” that Ella Finkel refers to is a paper by Jonathan Pekar et al. On October 13, 2023 (in the US) – i.e. one day before the Science Show programme went to air - an erratum was published for this paper. The paper has not yet been retracted, but this is a possibility, according to the person who appears to have first identified the error (see https://twitter.com/nizzaneela/status/1686105717135097862).
"Smearing"
the character of scientists
I return to my key point: there is a debate, it is ongoing. The debate is of vital importance. Ella Finkel claims that the lab-leak case relies in part on “smearing the character of scientists”. I agree smearing has occurred – and this may play a role in the now dominant public perception (at least in the US) that SARS-CoV-2 has a laboratory origin – however she, Robyn Williams, Norman Swan (and the ABC more broadly) must surely accept that issues such as truthfulness, conflicts of interest and their declaration (or their disguise) are of vital importance. The exploration of these issues need not be “smearing”. Ella Finkel did not make this distinction.
The fact that many of the leading proponents of the “natural spillover” hypothesis have been less than forthcoming is undeniable. “Smearing” is two way – for example scientists genuinely concerned with the evidence (including myself) have been repeatedly characterised as “conspiracists”. I have been blocked, on twitter, by many of the leading scientists with views opposing mine, including several with whom I have never directly interacted. This speaks of a curious unwillingness – by one side - to engage in respectful scientific debate.
The possibility of future lab-associated pandemics is not trivial
There is a possibility, far from trivial, that genetic engineering technology has already, or could soon, lead to novel outbreaks of disease, even to pandemics. COVID-19 may, or may not, be the first such example. This hypothesis is an emerging insight, which, if valid, is at least of equal importance to hand-washing. Its importance can scarcely be over-stated.
I have speculated that the ABC’s reluctance to fairly explore the possibility of a laboratory origin for SARS-CoV-2 may be related to a perception that to do so could be perceived as risking re-inflaming Australia’s relations with the Peoples’ Republic of China. [China initiated numerous, extremely punitive trade sanctions, in part triggered by calls by a former Australian prime minister for suggesting the recruitment of independent investigators akin to “weapons inspectors” to determine the source of major disease outbreaks.]
However, even if that is the case, there are ways to explore this that are safer, perhaps emphasising the undoubted role that the US has played in funding research into “synthetic” pathogens, including in China. Is the ABC reluctant to offend the US?
More important than either consideration is the health of the global public. The ABC has a duty of care which should lead it to not fully censor this discussion. The partisanship currently displayed by the ABC regarding this issue may in fact add to the undermining of science.
Conclusion
Soon after the broadcast of an interview between Dr Norman Swan and Prof. Peter Doherty (concerning the origin) [Prof Doherty, whose original training was as a veterinarian, was recognised for his immunological research with the Nobel Prize in medicine; he has great scientific prestige in Australia] I wrote to the Health Report to complain of the bias of Norman Swan. I have twice (perhaps thrice) asked for Dr Swan to interview someone (eg Prof Richard Ebright) to balance the views of Prof Peter Doherty (who has undeclared conflicts of interest concerning this issue) [including the "Sino-Australia COVID-19 Partnership Program"]. No one from the Health Report has ever responded; this lack of response is the major reason for this formal complaint. The Science Show also should at least allow someone, with a more balanced view, to be interviewed concerning this matter.
Yours sincerely
Colin
Colin D Butler
PhD, MSc, BMed, BMed(Sci)(Hons), DTM&H
Honorary Professor, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population
Health, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
Specialty Chief Editor for Planetary Health in Frontiers in Public Health
https://researchers.anu.edu.au/researchers/butler-cdd
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2942-5294
**
My own publications of relevance:
van Helden, Butler et al. (2021) "An appeal for an objective, open, and transparent scientific debate about the origin of SARS-CoV-2" Lancet https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)02019-5/fulltext
United
Nations Environment Programme (2022) "COVID-19: A Warning - Addressing
Environmental Threats and the Risk of Future Pandemics in Asia and the
Pacific" (I am sole author of this 70 page report, with 220 references,
which was reviewed by 28 people)
Butler (2022) "Comparing and contrasting two United Nations Environment Programmereports on COVID-19" Science in One Health (2022)
Butler (2022) “Gain of function' research can
create experimental pathogens, but the risks mean it should be very carefully
regulated, if not banned” The Conversation.
Butler and Randolph (2023) “There has been a suppression of the truth, secrecy and cover-ups on an Orwellian scale” https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11687597/There-suppression-truth-secrecy-cover-ups-origin-Covid-19-China.html
Butler and Lambrinidou (2023) “COVID-19 and the existential threat of scientific hubris” https://biosafetynow.org/covid-19-and-the-existential-threat-of-scientific-hubris/
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** One example: the leading Philadelphia obstetrician, Charles D. Meigs, derided Holmes' arguments as the “jejeune and fizzenless dreamings” of a sophomoric writer, and declared that any practitioner who met with epidemic cases of puerperal fever was simply “unlucky.”
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This is the ABC response, so far:
Thank you for contacting the ABC. The ABC values audience feedback whether supportive or critical and all complaints are reviewed by ABC Audience Support. Your reference number is C22871-23. Please do not respond to this automated email.
The ABC receives many thousands of written complaints a year and we need to ensure a common-sense approach when responding. In summary, we will take action when warranted, engage where there is value in doing so, and note criticism of our performance when there is nothing more of substance we can offer. In some cases, including where your complaint relates to a matter of personal taste or preference, you may receive no more than this automated acknowledgement that your complaint has been received.
Complaints about specific ABC content which concern our editorial standards will be noted and may be referred to the content area concerned or retained by the ABC Ombudsman’s Office for further consideration.
Where a further response is provided, the ABC aims to respond to you within the next 30 days. However, please be aware that due to the large volume of correspondence we receive and the complex nature of some matters, responses may take longer than this.
The ABC’s complaints process is further outlined on our website.
If you would like to contact us again about this complaint, please use the form on our website.
Thank you for taking the time to contact us, and for your interest in the ABC.
ABC Audience Support
**
On Nov 23,
2023 I received a confidential email from an ABC employee, in response to my complaint. It stated in part,
words to the effect that my complaint was reviewed, but rejected.
The tone
was reasonably friendly, and it’s better than nothing. The BBC recently
published a “puff piece” on Anthony Fauci – I see that as nothing less than UK
govt. propaganda. See https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20231130-anthony-fauci-interview-influential-katty-kay
