OYSTERHOOD is reclusiveness or solitude, or an overwhelming desire to stay at home.

— @HaggardHawks

Ouch, the Jacques Pauw story hurts! I believed him. Parts of the story seemed weird, but it was Jacques Pauw telling it, and Daily Maverick publishing it, so it had to have merit, right?

Wrong. And Pauw’s half-baked apology is also bullish and problematic, and the Daily Maverick trying to contain the damage instead of simply admitting a gross mistake in judgement and editorial integrity is disappointing to say the least.

I am sorry that I ever thought that the culprits in the story were the restaurant and the police. The article was sheer abuse of power, and the damage done to the reputation of the writer and the news outlet will be severe. At a time when readers are starved for factual reporting, reporting with insight and integrity, this is a blow that will be difficult to recover from. And I wish it did not pain me so intensely on a personal level, but I do feel betrayed by people and institutions I trusted – maybe not completely, but definitely more than others. I am so tired of having to fact-check and question everything I read in the news. Everyone makes mistakes, of course, it’s par for the course, but it’s the way one handles them afterwards that is the key. And this story was not handled properly from the start. The latest installment to transpire is the saddest part of all.

There was much more to this day, but this betrayal sadly overshadowed all else.

Stories told with integrity should not be as rare as they are.

Let me share one piece of amazing news from the ICU: our friend is out of the most acute danger zone and on her way to recovery from Covid-19. It will be a long process, but she is relearning to talk, eat, walk, and she is enjoying a book again. A true miracle. This I am eternally grateful for.

Be kind. Wear a mask. Support local.

“Physical distancing remains one of the key strategies to curb this pandemic.”

— NICD