The hydroxychloroquine imbroglio is just one of a dozen confusions that have emerged from the political and media exploitation of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In past essays on the subject, we’ve discussed several others, including the conflation of case fatality rate and real fatality rate, the argument over the effectiveness of intubation, the WHO’s and CDC’s back-and-forth positions on face masks, the lack of reporting on the relationship between viral load and severity of symptoms, the misinformation about the risk to people under 18 and children in particular, and the patently illogical recommendation of sheltering in place.

Given that, one has to wonder: Whom can I trust?

Have you asked yourself that question? Yes, of course you have. Every one of us has asked that question many times in many different contexts. We asked it first as toddlers, then again as teenagers, then again as young adults… and we are still asking it.

The question, properly posed, is: “Can I trust authority? Can I trust my parents, my teachers, my political leaders, my doctors, and my friends?”

For most of us, the answer to that question was determined long ago. Which means that, for most of us, the answer to the question of whom we are going to trust for answers about COVID-19 has already been made.

Some will always trust the LLP&M. Some will always trust the RLP&M. But if, like me, you don’t believe what either of them is saying, whom do you trust? There is only one answer to that. You have to trust yourself.