Reader question:

Please explain “expert opinion”, as in this: Is salt in bread healthy or not? What does expert opinion say about this?

My comments:

In other words, what do experts say about this? Do experts say salt in bread is healthy, or not healthy?

I’m not a bread expert. So I can only talk about this from a layman’s point of view. The layman is the opposite of the expert, who has a lot of, er, expertise. Or he or she should. As a layman, who is not a professional, I can only guess. I guess a little salt in bread helps. It may enhance the bread’s flavor. But it can be too much of a good thing. Too much salt doesn’t help. Too much salt in any food or dish is unhealthy. Everybody seems to know that.

Oh, back to expert opinion.

Literally, expert opinion refers to the opinion of an expert, who is a professional and who, hence, knows a lot about a subject. A professional cook or bread baker, for example, can be the expert needed here.

Or a medical doctor might be an expert in the context of our discussion.

Or some chemist who specializes in salt might be the expert in need here.

Anyways, that’s expert opinion, the view or judgment of professionals, specialists who know a lot about a certain subject.

Since they know a lot about a subject, their opinion naturally should be more valuable and trustworthy than that of someone like you and me, i.e. a layman.

Naturally, we are talking about real experts whose expertise in their particular field is genuine.

Experts, in other words, who are worth their salt.

No more ado. Here are media examples of “expert opinion” in various fields and situations:

1. Though things are slowly moving back to normal, the omicron variant of COVID-19 has put a question mark on global economic growth, it is increasing day by day.

If lockdowns and travel restrictions are imposed again to curb the spread of the new variant, supply chains would be affected.

Nowadays Europe, Austria, and Slovakia are under 14-day lockdown. Japan has banned the entry of all foreign nationals into the country, while the US has banned all to-and-fro flights from southern Africa.

Also, South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, and Malawi in its effort to stop the omicron variant from reaching its edge.

On the other side, these announcements are also indirectly dampening the festival spirit and people are now not likely to go shopping for Christmas as expected before.

For this, companies are no more hopeful like earlier and may re-think on their upcoming expansion plans.

The new variant has also made it difficult for economists to predict economic outlooks.

At present, all eyes are focused on the medical scientists for their expert opinion on several questions, like how quickly the new variant can be transmitted from one person to another, are the existing vaccines effective, and is lockdown a better way to halt the spread of the virus.

Unfortunately, the scientists conclude, the world has come to understand that the virus is here to stay, and it will continue to be a threat to the global economy, at least, for the next few years.

- New Omicron variant of COVID-19 can brutally affect global economy, TextileToday.com.bd, November 29, 2021.

2. When your driving needs call for a big, hulking body-on-frame SUV that brings the power and capabilities desired, you’re looking in the full-size class. These vehicles are known for lasting the longest, which offers the peace of mind you want, but which one is the best and which one is the worst? Strangely, the experts we normally turn to disagree on this subject.

How are the full-size SUVs ranked?

Typically, when offering a list of vehicles and ranking them from best to worst or vice versa, we turn to U. S. News and World Report and Consumer Reports for the information desired. In the full-size SUV class, these two lists differ. Here are these SUV ratings from best to worst from these two entities.

The one true wild card is whether or not the Jeep Wagoneer is good enough to reach the top of the list for CR. If so, we then see that two models are consistent at the top, but the rest of the list is a jumbled puzzle. Because of this confusion, another expert opinion is necessary.

- Experts Disagree About the Worst Full-Size SUVs of 2022, MotorBiscuit.com, May 10, 2022.

3. American rock band Bon Jovi recently closed their 2022 tour and founder, frontman and singer Jon Bon Jovi’s voice has sparked concern amongst fans as many notice some sort of change.

Videos shared from a recent concert appear to show the rock legend struggling to perform some of his biggest hits and numerous supporters worry that the star may have lost his voice, while others seem to think his vocals have stayed the same.

...

60-year-old Jon Bon Jovi has a legendary, classic rock voice but it seems as though his vocals have recently been receiving intense criticism and concern, especially following the band’s recent US tour dates.

Bon Jovi has been touring across the American South throughout April and many fans have been uploading videos that show the lead singer seemingly struggling with his vocals.

A Justin Hawkins Rides Again YouTube video titled “What’s Wrong With His Voice?!” was uploaded on 3rd May 2022, in which the English singer gave his expert opinion on what is going on with Jon Bon Jovi’s voice.

Hawkins suggests that the singer is experiencing a temporary problem with his vocals, adding that it “sounds like he’s super tired” and proposing the idea of therapy:

“It sounds like something he’s gonna need some therapy with – actually talk to somebody and try and coax the performances back out.

The content creator clarifies that, in his opinion, the artist’s voice may not develop permanent damage:

“It doesn’t sound to me like there’s damage in there. I’m not a doctor but I’ve experienced voice problems before. And to hold a note with it being off-key suggests some pitching issues that might be to do with hearing as well.”

Hawkins described Jon Bon Jovi as “a great singer”, explaining that “this sounds like something is eating away at him from the inside.”

The YouTuber finalized his opinion-based video with the statement:

“I feel like the people around him need to tell him to stop.”

- People Ask What Happened To Jon Bon Jovi's Voice As Justin Hawkins Issues Warning, HITC.com, May 12, 2022.

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About the author:

Zhang Xin is Trainer at chinadaily.com.cn. He has been with China Daily since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him at: zhangxin@chinadaily.com.cn, or raise a question for potential use in a future column.

（作者：張欣   編輯：丹妮）