I think the media can be a very positive influence by essentially

The words of Anthony Fauci carry the gravity of a man who has long walked the line between science and society: “I think the media can be a very positive influence by essentially holding people to task about the importance of high quality medical care. And when the media is scrutinizing you, then I think that’s a very good, positive thing for the field of medicine.” Here, he proclaims that scrutiny, though uncomfortable, is a light that burns away shadows, forcing medicine to remain faithful to its highest calling: to serve the people with honesty, skill, and compassion.

From the days of the ancients, the guardians of knowledge have understood that power without oversight becomes corruption. Physicians, kings, and priests all bore sacred duties to their people, but when their deeds were hidden from sight, arrogance and error often took root. Fauci reminds us that medicine, like all human endeavor, must welcome the gaze of the people, and the media becomes a mirror held before the healer. If the reflection reveals flaws, they must not curse the mirror, but correct the faults. For only in this way can trust endure.

Consider the story of Ignaz Semmelweis, the physician of the nineteenth century who discovered that handwashing with antiseptic reduced deadly infections in maternity wards. His findings challenged the pride of his peers, and though the evidence was clear, he was ridiculed, ignored, and silenced. Had there been a force like today’s media to amplify his message, countless lives could have been saved. Scrutiny, when honest, protects the vulnerable and forces truth to prevail over the arrogance of institutions. Fauci’s words echo this tragedy: oversight is not an enemy to medicine but a safeguard for the people it serves.

History also gives us the tale of Upton Sinclair, whose novel The Jungle exposed the vile conditions of the American meat industry in the early twentieth century. Though not a physician, Sinclair’s work was amplified by the press, and the public outcry forced reforms in food safety and sanitation that saved countless lives. This is the power of the media when aligned with truth: it holds the powerful accountable, compels reform, and transforms suffering into progress. What Sinclair achieved for food, Fauci suggests the media must achieve for medicine: to demand high quality care, to expose negligence, and to honor the sacred bond between healer and patient.

The wisdom of Fauci’s words also lies in the humility they require. Many fear scrutiny, for it exposes weakness and threatens reputation. Yet the true servant of the people welcomes it. Just as steel is strengthened by fire, so too is medicine strengthened by accountability. A physician, a hospital, or even a government may be tempted to hide error; but when exposed, they are forced to grow, to improve, to remember their duty. Scrutiny, though sharp, is a form of mercy—for it prevents greater harm from festering in the dark.

Thus, the lesson is this: do not fear the gaze of others when your purpose is just. Whether you are a healer, a leader, a teacher, or an artist, welcome the questions, the doubts, the criticisms that press upon you. If they are false, they will crumble; if they are true, they will guide you toward correction. To be examined is not to be diminished, but to be refined. Just as medicine requires evidence and proof, so too must every calling be tested if it is to remain pure.

In practice, seek this wisdom: be transparent in your work, and do not shrink from accountability. If you are in a position of responsibility, welcome feedback rather than silence it. If you are one who watches, do so with fairness, not malice, remembering that scrutiny must aim at truth, not destruction. And above all, uphold the principle of high quality care in every sphere of life—not only in hospitals, but in your dealings with family, with neighbors, with communities.

Therefore, Anthony Fauci’s words shine as a teaching for generations: the media, when rooted in truth, becomes the ally of medicine, the guardian of the people, and the purifier of power. Let none despise scrutiny, for it is the flame that refines the healer’s art. And let each of us, in our own lives, welcome the light that corrects and purifies us, so that what we give to the world may be worthy of the trust placed in our hands.