"Don't be afraid to lie to win." A dispute escalates between an MP and the president of the Medical Research Agency.

• A controversial slide from a lecture by Professor Wojciech Fendler three years ago has resurfaced today as a source of controversy. MP Janusz Cieszyński is demanding an explanation and announcing his intervention in the matter.
• The current head of the Medical Research Agency explains that his words were part of a discussion about combating disinformation. He emphasizes that the question was about the ethical boundaries of persuading skeptics.
• The conflict also raises the issue of ABM's former CEO, Radosław Sierpiński. This shows that the discussion can go beyond a single unfortunate slide.

"Don't be afraid to lie to win" - such a slide from the presentation of Prof. Wojciech Fendler , currently head of the Medical Research Agency, worried PiS MP Janusz Cieszyński .

The politician accused Professor Fendler on social media of encouraging lies and contributing to a decline in trust in vaccinations just as much as quacks. He called for his resignation and threatened to file a complaint with the Supreme Medical Chamber (for now, only announcements have been made).

In turn, the Agency published a retort on its website, in which we read that it is the Cieszyn MP who is spreading false information taken out of context.

Let's provide some broader context. The controversial presentation was delivered by Professor Fendler in 2022 (when he was not yet president of the Medical Research Agency) during a conference organized by the Student Scientific Society of the Medical University of Lodz. The event's main theme was combating disinformation.

The professor's presentation focused on interpreting clinical trial results in the context of primary and secondary immunodeficiencies. It addressed statistics, storytelling methods, and manipulation. The scientist both identified and refuted false narratives regarding the harmful effects of vaccinations. He also explained how to reliably conduct and document clinical trials, and how to interpret statistical data.

Finally, Professor Fendler focused on how to conduct discussions with people who are highly skeptical of scientific reports. It was here that he made the problematic statement that "for unconvinced, uneducated, or frightened interlocutors, even the best scientific explanations can be futile. If reason and EBM fail, it's worth considering a powerful story about an acquaintance, with graphic and empathetic details."

As an example, the professor pointed to the dialogue (original spelling retained):

"I'm afraid of vaccines because I might get a blood clot and die." Yes, it can happen, but my 30-year-old neighbor, who used to run ultramarathons, didn't get vaccinated because of the PESEL (Polish National Insurance) queue and contracted severe COVID. He has a third of his lungs left, sleeps with an oxygen tank by his bed, can't climb the stairs to the first floor without stopping, and has no hope of improvement. He said he'd rather die than live like this. We know perfectly well how to treat thrombosis, but medicine is currently powerless against the post-COVID changes.

Then – as Professor Fendler convinces us – there was a longer discussion about whether such an approach was ethically correct.

Fendler: It was about discussing the ethics of narrative

MP Janusz Cieszyński tells us that he is "shocked that a government institution has published a lecture presentation on its website in which someone encourages people to lie. This is a complete misunderstanding of what EBM (evidence-based medicine - editor's note) is." He adds that he maintained full accuracy in his post by including Professor Fendler's entire statement.

And although the MP has repeatedly demonstrated that the interests of patients and accurate reporting of facts are important to him, his criticism of the head of the Medical Research Agency (ABM) may have a hidden agenda. In his posts, Cieszyński referred to the dismissal of the previous president of the Agency. "Fendler accused his predecessor, Professor Radosław Sierpiński , of unlawful actions. Professor Sierpiński was unlawfully dismissed from his position, and his place was taken by this ruthless careerist," wrote the Cieszyński MP.

As a reminder, former Minister Izabela Leszczyna dismissed Professor Radosław Sierpiński from his position as President of the Agency for Medical Research (ABM). She accused him of falsifying documents during the competitive recruitment process for the position. We were the only ones to publish the disputed documents in Rynek Zdrowia. The proceedings are still ongoing, but no charges have been filed. Meanwhile, a complaint filed by the Tax Administration Chamber in Bydgoszcz regarding Professor Sierpiński's management of the Agency ended with a refusal to initiate an investigation. The former head of the ABM sued the Agency for unjustified termination of his contract.

Professor Wojciech Fendler emphasized that the Agency responded to Janusz Cieszyński's post on its website because it felt that social media was not a place for substantive discussion. At the same time, the agency's representatives felt they needed to address the allegations and provide a broader context for the situation.

"In 2022, I did not represent the Medical Research Agency," emphasizes Professor Wojciech Fendler. He adds that during the pandemic, doctors were primarily concerned with saving patients. Meanwhile, conspiracy theories and anti-vaccine narratives stemming from anecdotal evidence and personal stories abounded.

- Therefore, as part of the presentation on combating such content, we asked the students whether it is possible to use stories with good intentions that will resonate with people who are not convinced by scientific achievements, research and statistics - explains Professor Fendler.

For MP Cieszyński, the Agency's explanations are insufficient.

"In his presentation, Mr. Fendler encourages young scientists to LY when talking to 'uneducated' interlocutors, just to convince them of his point of view," he wrote on the X portal. And this time, in addition to filing a complaint with the Supreme Medical Chamber, he announced that he would seek intervention from the Ministry of Health in this matter. "You cannot tarnish the good name of a state institution by publishing recommendations that are illegal and unethical."

It's difficult to predict at this time whether the dispute between the MP and the president of the ABM will develop further. Janusz Cieszyński has announced complaints and interventions with the National Institute of Health and the Ministry of Health. If this happens, the resolution of the matter may depend on the response of these institutions.

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