I will be speaking with former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot at the 2025 PRovoke Summit in Chicago this coming Wednesday. Our topic is COVID five years after the pandemic struck the world. Here are a few of the topic areas for our discussion:
- The Information Eco-System is Crippled—Media lost trust during the pandemic as politicians attacked its credibility and readers opted for channels that agreed with their own opinions. Local newspapers have continued to lose readers, further compromising their fragile economic status. Public officials went directly to citizens; Allison Arwady, Commissioner of Chicago’s Department of Public Health during the pandemic, used Facebook Live to deliver important daily information updates. In short, everyone now has his or her own facts, often by using social media as primary source material.
- Experts Are Diminished—The confusing directives and lack of proof of effectiveness of certain public health policies have undermined confidence in scientific sources. People are now opting for information from those close to them, local sources such as pastors, pharmacists and community leaders.
- Politics and Public Health in Harmony—Mayor Lightfoot and Dr. Arwady were cheek by jowl on all decisions affecting the city, from lockdowns to distancing. This is in sharp contrast to the Federal construct of conflicting advice from the White House and Dr. Fauci/Dr. Francis Collins/CDC.
- The Effect of Race— Early on, African Americans had deep skepticism about the danger of COVID-19 to them and their families. Part of this was attributable to a paucity of African American MDs who could give advice and be believed. Therefore, the Black community took the hardest hit in the initial phase of the pandemic. There was also a serious step backward for students in the inner city, locked down without access to the proper technology that would have enabled remote schooling, now behind in both math and reading scores.
- The Mental Health Epidemic—One in four Americans now suffers from depression. COVID changed behavior, making us more solitary and suspicious. We don’t go to bars; we stay home to game or stream shows. The most profound effect is the rise in grievance in young males.
- Low Trust in Government—You will remember that Government had one shining moment in the spring of 2020 when it became the most trusted institution in the Edelman Trust Barometer, the one with the biggest bazooka to fight the disease. By the end of the year, Business surpassed Government based on superior competence and rising ethics. In the end, Mayor Lightfoot lost her reelection bid because of the sour taste left by COVID, carrying the can for everything from a diminished retail trade to a surge in crime.
On Wednesday I will call for a national inquiry into the COVID-19 pandemic. We need a reckoning in much the same way as we reviewed mistaken policies that allowed the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Global Financial Crisis and the Iraq War. The only path to a better performance the next time is an honest assessment of the performance of all the relevant institutions. Mayor Lightfoot would be a perfect choice to lead such an initiative. I am looking forward to Wednesday.
Richard Edelman is CEO.