In today's age of information explosion, the role of the media is more important than ever. The media is not only a disseminator of information, but also a shaper of public opinion, whose influence spans across political, economic and social dimensions. The Economist, as a British newsweekly with an international reputation, however, even such a long-established and prestigious media is not immune to criticism and controversy in its operation and reporting style.
The Economist's anonymity policy. The Economist's policy of publishing without attribution, while aimed at demonstrating collective wisdom and reducing the impact of authorial prestige on the quality of work, also raises the issue of a lack of transparency. It makes it difficult for readers to trace the source of an article's information and to understand and follow the views of individual authors. Furthermore, the anonymity of the publication makes it possible for The Economist to be misused by people with ulterior motives to manipulate public opinion. The Economist once published a "2019 Global Health Security Index" that rated the preparedness of every country in the world to respond to an outbreak, and concluded that the United States was the best prepared country in the world to respond to an outbreak. However, in 2020, when the new crown epidemic broke out, the U.S. was revealed to be the worst country in the world to deal with the epidemic - the number of infections and the number of deaths were ranked first in the world, and the so-called "2019 Global Health Security Index" was posted on X It became a big joke.