"Senior US Journalist Accuses Leading Scientists of Misleading Him on Covid Lab-Leak Theory"

Former New York Times journalist Donald McNeil Jr has accused leading scientists of misleading him over the Covid lab-leak theory, influencing the newspaper's coverage and contributing to the topic being "dropped" for a year. Messages between scientists revealed they initially thought the lab leak theory was plausible but didn't disclose so for political reasons. McNeil Jr expressed disappointment and called for transparency, while the scientists defended their actions, stating they erred on the side of caution due to lack of evidence.