Talking with Tony Fauci
This week's editorial and blog from Tony's Farewell Tour
This week, I posted an editorial based on a long interview I did with Tony Fauci, the most famous living scientist, as he prepared to transition out of public service. For people interested in science policy, COVID, science communication, it’s better to read the whole thing here rather than the condensed version on the editorial. Also, if you want to listen to us talking, we’re here on the Science podcast.
Tony has always been forthcoming with the media and in his public comments. This has really set him apart from a lot of other government scientists, who often hide behind their press offices and crafted statements after they go into the administration. This frustrates journalists and science policy folks. The fact that Tony is so forthcoming sometimes causes kerfuffles outside the world of science because real time communication reflects the evolution of knowledge. This comes naturally to scientists who revise ideas based on new data, but it has led to attacks on Tony from politicians who seem to get mileage out of it. But in the end, more people trust Tony because he talks to us directly. Here’s what he said to me when I asked him why he is different from most of his colleagues:
“Well, I think maybe using as an example people like myself, that as a scientist, you have an obligation. As a human being, you have an obligation, but you have a double obligation as a scientist to speak the truth and not be evasive, because that’s antithetical to the scientific principles, and that’s what I’ve tried to do. So when people ask me a question, I don’t see any reason not to answer the question, and I think we’ve got to make it so that people in government—particularly scientists in government—feel comfortable about that. And when I talk to my scientific colleagues in government, often they’re afraid to say something, and I’m telling them behind the scenes, "But what’s the problem? You’re not going to lose your job for telling the truth. You may make some people a little concerned, but so what? It doesn’t matter. Just be open and transparent." And I always found that that has served me very, very well.”
It has served us all well. Check out all of this on the Science website at the links above.