Brett Scharffs: Reflections upon the Completion of the Covid-19 & FoRB Webinar Series
Brett G. Scharffs is Director, International Center for Law and Religion Studies and Rex E. Lee Chair and Professor of Law, BYU Law School[1]
As the global pandemic has raged on — shutting down businesses, cancelling events, and isolating loved ones—we’ve sadly realized that so much of the good in life happens when we are closer than six feet apart. And yet, times of crisis also provide an opportunity for innovation, adaptation, and reflection.
The Coronavirus Stress Test
As I noted at the beginning of this webinar series, Covid-19 is a kind of stress test — and it’s a test that many of our U.S. institutions have been failing.
As for Congress and the President, I have to give them very low marks. Congress has managed to pass several sizeable appropriations, but otherwise seem missing in action. The President has mostly wanted to move beyond the crisis.
The media has also performed poorly, bifurcating into the predictable anti- and pro-Trump camps that distorts everything. I doubt there is any American institution that will have more difficulty regaining trust and credibility than the media. Even legacy providers such as The New York Times and CNN have been deeply tarnished. (more…)
