THE POSITIVE PROFESSOR
SOCIAL media’s voice of calm Karol Sikora has been signed up by the Daily Express. Readers can now enjoy his soothing advice in these troubled times which has won him hundreds of thousands of followers on Twitter. If you need reassuring everything’s going to be all right read Professor Positivity.
NOW that the daily press conferences have come to an end, I wanted to say a huge thanks to Professor Chris Whitty, Sir Patrick Vallance and all of the other scientists who took part in them.
I’ve done my fair share of media and I always find it nerve-racking.
I can only imagine how stressful it must be for these scientists to broadcast to millions on a daily basis.
I always found it frustrating how some journalists tried to trip them up and drag them into a political discussion.
It’s not a debate that they wanted to have and it could develop into a huge distraction.
They did a wonderful job explaining quite complicated scientific concepts to the public – I certainly learnt a thing
Sir Patrick Vallance and Professor Chris Whitty
or two. They did this under huge pressure as any slip of the tongue or misspeak would be mocked by thousands of people on social media. I have the utmost respect for all of them. Professor Jonathan Van-Tam always made me smile with his fantastic turn of phrase.
I will always remember his plea to not “tear the pants out of it” as we eased out of lockdown. The Professor’s advice should be on every Government advert.
We are about to take some huge steps. I’m delighted but it’s so important we remain vigilant. At the last conference Professor Whitty was entirely right to strike a cautious tone.
These are bold steps, and it can only be done safely if we all continue to follow the new rules when they come into force.
Saving the press conferences for noteworthy events is a sure sign that the country is moving forward.
I’ve set my watch by them for the last three months, so it will give me an extra 45 minutes a day. I hope Chris Whitty and others can soon take a deserved break.