“We Failed”

In early January 2022, Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet apologized to readers for not challenging the official narrative throughout the first two years of the so-called pandemic.

“For almost two years, we — the press and the population — have been almost hypnotically preoccupied with the authorities’ daily corona tally,” wrote Bladet journalist Brian Weichardt. “The constant mental alertness has worn out tremendously on all of us. That is why we — the press — must also take stock of our own efforts. And we have failed.”

In the mea culpa, which went viral on Twitter, Weichardt suggested the newspaper should have asked more questions about how public health officials were tabulating data. “We have not been vigilant enough at the garden gate when the authorities were required to answer what it actually meant that people are hospitalized with corona and not because of corona.”

Denmark scrapped virtually all pandemic restrictions effective February 1. “Today is a great day, Denmark is completely open again,” said Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (pictured above). “It is important that we can cooperate across parties in the Parliament. Opinions are at stake. That’s the way it should be. But in the end, we have to find common solutions.”