The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews has long been considered “the gold standard” in research. After publishing an updated review of a total of 78 trials evaluating the effectiveness of masks in preventing respiratory virus transmission, they’ve met up with fierce criticism. STORY AT-A-GLANCE A 2023 study published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews found wearing masks “makes little or no difference” in COVID-19 transmission.
The New York Times got involved and columnist Zeynep Tufekci published an opinion piece titled, “Here’s Why the Science Is Clear That Masks Work,” in rebuttal—and reached out to Cochrane.
Cochrane’s editor-in-chief released a statement about the study, stating the implication “masks don’t work” is an “inaccurate and misleading interpretation,” and they were calling on the authors to change the study’s summary and abstract.
The study’s authors were blindsided by the statement, and the lead author reiterated, “There is just no evidence that they [masks] make any difference. Full stop.”
In 2006, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation gave a $1.15-million grant to Cochrane, which subsequently published controversial and heavily criticized research in favor of HPV vaccines, which Gates has widely supported. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews has long been considered a gold standard in research, as its reviews take into account all available empirical evidence to reach conclusions about any given topic. A systematic review is essentially a “study of studies,” which can generate “authoritative and reliable information.”1…