LA Times Columnist Michael Hiltzik Continues His Efforts to Destroy Scientific Progress

The preponderance of evidence suggests SARS-CoV-2 most likely entered humans through a research-related incident. I have been a vocal critic of researchers suspected of contributing to the pandemic and those who have continued to mislead the public by publishing unsound and fraudulent papers claiming there is credible evidence for a natural origin (click here for calls for retraction of five of these papers). Disagreements among scientists are common, especially on issues that impact public health, so it’s no surprise that the discourse surrounding COVID origins is extremely heated.

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Recently, however, there has been progress toward more productive dialogue. In July, I attended a public debate in New York City between Matt Ridley, who argued COVID-19 has a lab origin, and virologist Stephen Goldstein, who argued COVID-19 has a natural origin. After Ridley won the debate, Goldstein and I had a heated but productive exchange, which has since turned into a civil and constructive dialogue primarily by DMs on X.

Ten days ago, I participated in a panel on COVID origins and biosafety at a Stanford University conference on pandemic policy. One of the panelists, Sunetra Gupta, held views I disagreed with on nearly every issue. Still, after the discussion, we shook hands, and I thanked her for participating in a panel where she knew her views would be in the minority.

Earlier today, I received an excerpt of an email from LA Times columnist Michael Hiltzik, who is preparing a hit piece attacking the Stanford conference and some of its participants, possibly including me.

He wrote:

“A participant in Panel 4, Professor Nickels, has characterized aspects of the collaboration of professors Worobey, Rasmussen, and others as 'pure, unfiltered evil' and illustrated a 2022 tweet with a film still depicting a character associated with Josef Mengele torturing a character played by Dustin Hoffman. During the panel, he stated that virologists involved in this research 'have blood on their hands.' He has also accused virologists Kristian Andersen, Eddie Holmes, Robert Garry, and Andrew Rambaut of scientific fraud connected to their 2020 paper on the origins of SARS-CoV-2.”

The Stanford conference brought together people with strong disagreements dating back to the early days of the pandemic. While many of the panel discussions were intense, all were conducted respectfully, and every participant I spoke with during and after the event found it very positive. Like my ongoing dialogue with Goldstein, the conference was a positive step toward repairing fractured relationships within the scientific community.

Hiltzik, however, seems determined to use his platform to reopen old wounds and undermine any potential for constructive scientific conversations and progress. His recent columns include a hit piece on me and a colleague in March, as well as an attack on the Stanford conference shortly after its announcement. Now, he appears to be trying to find an angle to attack the conference again--even though he didn’t attend. Just a few days ago, Jay Bhattacharya exposed evidence of a coordinated effort between Peter Hotez and Hiltzik to harass and intimidate Dr. George Tidmarsh for having the audacity to invite Hotez to the conference, even offering to make special travel arrangements for him if needed. After their shameful tactics were exposed on X, Hiltzik appears to have decided not to attack Tidmarsh, but instead redirect his efforts toward the conference itself.

Luckily, the number of journalists like Hiltzik, willing to embarrass themselves by stoking controversy that undermines science, is dwindling. The majority of the public sees a lab origin as the most parsimonious explanation for the emergence of COVID-19, and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have begun to support much-needed legislation designed to prevent another lab-generated catastrophe before it’s too late.

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Footnote: for anyone interested in whether Hiltzik accurately represented my remarks at the conference, here’s a video of me using the phrase "blood on their hands" during the panel. In short, he’s grossly mischaracterizing what I said.