Is OffGuardian reputable and does it even matter?

The following request reached us yesterday:

website: https://off-guardian.org/2020/06/27/covid19-pcr-tests-are-scientifically-meaningless/
Message : is this source credible? Thank you and best wishes

The writer’s answer shows how to deal with such a question if you follow the fact-check infographics:

This site is most likely not serious. If you look at the false information that is spread about COVID-19, you can’t help but come to this conclusion.

For example, the article you quoted is in stark contradiction to the results of studies such as this one, without being dealt with correctly in terms of content:

https://www.finddx.org/covid-19/sarscov2-eval-molecular/molecular-eval-results/

If you look for “off-guardian fact check” such information comes to light: https://www.newsguardtech.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Off-Guardian.pdf

The imprint is also suspicious: “OffGuardian was launched in February 2015 and takes its name from the fact its founders had all been censored on and/or banned from the Guardian’s ‘Comment is Free’ sections. Our editors & admins are based in the US, UK & Europe.”

Why do you think they were banned? In their account it is assumed that the Guardian did not tolerate the truth. But do we know what the real reasons were? – No, because no information is provided on this, nor who the authors are.

In the end, however, the question about the seriousness of a platform is not enough. Because even a dubious platform can spread truths and a serious one can make a mistake.

So there is nothing left to do but to check the truth content of the information directly.

With PCR tests, this begins with the question of what a PCR test is supposed to do. Does it really serve to detect the virus with certainty or does it rather serve to indicate a possible danger of infection?

You can compare it to a smoke detector: it is not intended to detect fire, but “only” to indicate the danger of it burning. Is it therefore useless? – No. No one would think of doing without smoke detectors for this reason. Not even if 2 out of 100 alarms are false alarms. It’s not much different with PCR tests, I think.