anti-mask users in particular were predisposed to digging through the scientific literature and highlighting the uncertainty in academic publications that media organizations elide. When these uncertainties did not surface within public-facing versions of these studies, people began to assume that there was a broader cover-up.

No shit Sherlock! And its not just the "uncertainty" that makes us see cover-up. It is the blatant censorship of anyone pointing out contrary interpretations of the data set, or unacceptable bias within the data set that makes us see cover-up. It is the publishing of fake data (that is later retracted) that makes us see cover-up. In short, it is the cover-up that makes us see cover-up.

Moreover, the fact that these researchers from MIT felt that they could somehow make statements of basic common sense into an entire research paper makes me question the integrity and intelligence of the entire CSAIL research department. Their research advisor, in this case Arvind Satyanarayan, needs to be reeducated about what makes an appropriate research paper.