While working on a piece about #Covid in west Africa, I reflected on the US. My sources did too. Liberia's public health director recalled how CDC & WHO representatives told him rules he was imposing about masks were silly in March. He wanted to follow in China's lead. He did.

Worth noting that I talked w/ @mfallah1969 for this story, who is the Robert Redfield of Liberia. During Ebola, the heads of the Ebola response allowed journalists to visit their headquarters. I had my battles (was even thrown out of the UN campus), but at least I was allowed in.

In the US, the CDC isn't even holding phone briefings. I can't get staff at public health departments, the CDC, HHS, even NIH, to talk with me. White house briefings are limited to political reporters, and they're mainly politics, not public health, anyways.

Outbreak responses are ALWAYS chaotic. I've covered several. But in other countries, I've had leaders explain why a problem is difficult. They understand that journalists are an arm of communication - and that ignoring them or stirring mistrust of media does not help a response.

In short, the US government is hampering the ability of the media to report on the pandemic. This on top of sending in heavily armed federal forces to violently suppress protestors. If this were not my own country, I would be less forgiving.

Anyways, this is my early morning procrastination. Please do read my story on Covid in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. We have a lot to learn. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02173-z