evidence: Like many other newspapers, the Times issued daily "breaking news" alerts relaying the latest COVID-19 morbidity and mortality statistics and highlighting the results of highly speculative "scientific" reports, such as computer modelling efforts that guessed (often very poorly) at most of the epidemiological features of the virus.Footnote 5 Far less attention was given to studies that offered more modest estimates of the likely death toll. The biggest misinformation gaffe—hugely erroneous claims about the infection mortality rate made by the Seattle Times and most other mainstream newspapers—went on month after month with little visible opposition from knowledgeable reporters, public health officials, medical experts, or anyone else. [...] Furthermore, even in cases where a single factor strongly predominates in causing a person’s demise, medicine will frequently miss it. Much of the literature speculating that official COVID-19 mortality rates are too high or too low assumes that there is a correct rate that is just right. But such is not the case.