This week: the race to ~~the moon~~ develop a COVID-19 vaccine.

Civil is written by three people who are tired of news in its current form. Nathan tends to lean Right, while Liam tends to lean Left. Max is your editor.

Together, we're giving you both sides of the story for the price of one. No more flipping channels or Twitter overload. Become more informed, open, and Civil.

How Civil is Structured

What: We'll highlight the facts you need to know about our story.
How: We'll show you the narratives from the Left and Right and specific articles that support them.
Transparency: We'll highlight coverage of our story that's (relatively) objective. There's hope!

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Vax Fast Trax

Mind the Graph

In a year dominated by the coronavirus, hope is on the horizon in the form of a vaccine. How close that horizon is depends on who you ask. The average vaccine takes 2-5 years to develop, but this isn't your everyday booster shot. Companies around the world are racing to develop a vaccine faster than ever before, in what's being called “Operation Warp Speed.”

If done correctly, a vaccine could give us what we’ve been missing so much; concerts, Big Ten football, and an escape from our (wonderful) families.

Operation Warp Speed

Treatment Explosion: The first to develop a successful COVID-19 vaccine will almost certainly become even more famous than Bill Nye. Many treatments have/are being developed as a result, from plasma transfusion to the controversial hydroxychloroquine. (AP)
Backfire: There’s precedent for vaccine-induced worry. In 1955, multiple vaccines were approved to combat the polio epidemic. Soon after, over 250 cases of polio were attributed to vaccines produced by Cutter Laboratories. (CDC)
Mr. Worldwide: Russia published questionable positive vaccine results, and Chinese and U.S. companies are in final phase testing. On Tuesday, Britain's AstraZeneca paused clinical trials after a participant came down with an unexplained illness. (Bloomberg)

November Significance

A vaccine is the golden egg. It’s what we have all been waiting for since the pandemic started. If developed in record time, the guy running the country (a.k.a Donald J. Trump) could probably take the credit. The problem? 65% of voters may not even trust the vaccine when eventually authorized.

It's the "Federal Agencies under pressure from a Corrupt Trump" versus the "Radical Swamp and Politicizing Liberals."

HOW: BIRDS EYE BIAS

Narrative Overview

Lula

Now that you know what's going on, let's look at the narratives our team has identified and the headlines that support them.

Narrative from the Left

Trump and Co. are trying to rush a potentially unproven vaccine as a hail mary attempt to stay in power for another four years. Listen to scientists, not this blubbering idiot.

Supporting Coverage from the Left

A COVID-19 Vaccine Won't Cure The Global Economy

Even a Safe Vaccine Could Be a Distribution Nightmare

Covid-19 Vaccine Makers Are Pushing Back Against Pressures To Deliver By Election Day

Trump Touts 'VERY High Marks' for Coronavirus Handling, Doesn't Say Who From

Narrative from the Right

The only way the Racial Left takes back the White House is by politicizing the pandemic. Meanwhile, Trump's cutting through the Washington BS to get a vaccine we need now.

Supporting Coverage from the Right

Trump: Coronavirus Vaccine Deadline Not Politically Motivated

Trump Calls Biden 'Stupid,' Demands Apology for Challenging Him on Vaccines

Trust In The CDC And Media To Deliver Accurate Information About COVID Tumbles, Poll Shows

Trump Administration Sends 'Urgent' Request To States To Have Vaccine Distribution Sites Ready By Nov. 1

Bottom Line

The narrative from right-leaning news outlets glosses over how quickly this vaccine is being developed and the risks of that haste. Instead, it focuses on how Trump is circumventing criticism from the Left and authorizing a vaccine that will save lives.

The narrative from left-leaning news outlets glosses over how badly the U.S. needs a vaccine. Instead, it focuses on how Trump has handled COVID poorly, and how he's trying to use his power to rush vaccine approval and gain an electoral advantage.

TRANSPARENCY

It's Not All Bias

While you've seen just how biased news outlets can be, they are fair sometimes. Here are articles that pleasantly surprised us as conceding a point that supports the other narrative.

Only One-Fifth of Voters Say They Would Get a Free Coronavirus Vaccine ‘as Soon as Possible’

By highlighting that a majority of American's distrust the vaccine, Breitbart concedes a point to the Left's narrative that a rushed vaccine is a dangerous vaccine.

Drugmakers Make Safety Pledge In Race To Develop Coronavirus Vaccine

By highlighting the pledge that the vaccine is being developed safely, HuffPost concedes a point to the Right's narrative that there's no foul play afoot.

Civility Challenge

While we love a good yell-off, we tried listening and asking questions for once. You just learned a lot, now give it a whirl. You might just enjoy it!

Some ones that worked for us were...

"Do you agree with how the whole thing has been covered?Why?"
"I'm definitely biased, but here's what my argument is built on... What's yours?"
"What do you think could shift your stance? For me, it's..."

Give Feedback (3 minutes tops, we promise)

Want to Learn More About Our Bias Ratings?

Our bias ratings are generated by AllSides, which they establish using input from thousands of users and a bipartisan review board.