I think there is a data problem as well. There's the issue that you can find a scientific study making the case for whatever view you hold if it's sufficiently marketable to do one. Because hundreds of studies got done about masks, at least 1 or 2 will have returned an unclear result, and you can bet those 1 or 2 studies will be promoted by biased politicians, public health officials, etc.

Here's 150 studies that conclude masks don't work/are harmful to certain populations https://centerforneurologyandspine.com/do-masks-work-see-the...

Here's 49 that say masks do work https://kfor.com/news/health/coronavirus/do-face-masks-work-...

I haven't looked through every single one but there are plenty of reputable research institutions in both articles. Even if the general consensus among the scientific community is pro-mask, people are going to take away whatever they want because there are no clear answers anymore.