The New York Times is being roasted online for “fear-mongering” over an article questioning whether it is “safe to go outside” this summer.
The article, headlined “Is It Safe to Go Outside? How to Navigate This Cruel Summer,” was published on Thursday and presents a “guide to determine when it’s safe to head out,” in light of the recent heat wave, flash flooding and smoke from wildfires experienced across the country.
“So you want to go outside — despite the heat, heavy rainfall and poor air quality affecting millions this summer. Here’s how to determine whether it’s safe to leave the house,” The New York Times Health section tweeted with a link to the article.
The article said the conditions have come together “to make this a summer of weather extremes in the United States, in which going outside can be riddled with perils.”
The piece was torched by conservatives online who accused the Times of stoking the fire of climate change fears and recommending people wear masks when the air quality is poor.
“Anyone taking health advice or learning epidemiology from the @nytimes will be doomed to isolation and ignorance,” tweeted Jay Bhattacharya, a professor of medicine, economics and health research policy at Stanford University.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign manager Kyle Lamb tweeted: “They’re already back to trying to normalize lockdowns and masking for things like weather and air quality. They’re desperate for control.”
“YES – it is safe to go outside,” attorney Julie Hamill posted in response. “Stop fear mongering. You are enabling agoraphobia and extremely unhealthy life decisions.”
“The inevitable next step after years of COVID fear-mongering. The New York Times incredulously implies that leaving the house is dangerous due to the horror of… summer weather! Could you imagine such a headline in 2019?” questioned social worker Justin Spiro.
Multiple studies have shown that even as deaths related to excessive heat are on the rise, more people die each year from cold-related weather.
A study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics Compressed Mortality Database found that more than half of weather-related deaths were due to extreme cold from 2006 to 2010.
“During 2006-2010, about 2,000 U.S. residents died each year from weather-related causes of death,” the study states. “About 31% of these deaths were attributed to exposure to excessive natural heat, heat stroke, sun stroke, or all; 63% were attributed to exposure to excessive natural cold, hypothermia, or both; and the remaining 6% were attributed to floods, storms, or lightning.”
In 2019 there were 1.7 million deaths worldwide deaths from extreme temperatures – only 356,000 were due to excessive heat, according to The Lancet.
