Enough With the Swine Flu, Already!
Jeff Alworth
Whenver a natural disaster hits, I brace for the inevitable onslaught of news coverage. It's brutal not because it pushes all other news out of the way, but because there's so rarely any news to the news. Disasters are enormously magnetizing events because of the trauma, but often the news is just a rehash of what we already know.
But what to say about the nonstop swine flu coverage? I listen almost exclusively to the relatively topic-diverse, non-reactionary NPR, and they're still leading every newscast with the damn thing. A week ago, NPR devoted 28% of its regular coverage to the swine flu (11 of 40 stories on Morning Edition and All things Considered). Today it was still 15% of all stories (5 of 34). That may seem low, but very few stories get anywhere near that much. A week ago, Arlen Specter's shift to the Democratic Party warranted but 10% of the coverage (4 of 40).
But aside from early fears, there's been even less to report than with a disaster. It's a story that never was. So why is everyone still harping on it?
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May 4, '09
Amen brother. CNN is just as bad if not worse. Every time I flip to channel 44 it's Swine Flu - click... back to MSNBC.
9:43 p.m.
May 4, '09
Rule of thumb: if your "news" program has a sound track, it's entertainment only. Oink.
May 5, '09
Nike Men Air Force 1 High
May 5, '09
The problem here, too, is the gaping holes in the reportage. As a top-ranked HIV/AIDS specialist, I got so I could not BEAR to read or watch any local news specifically, but sometimes even national level AIDS reporting was disgusting. They clearly did not look for competent professionals to vet the work. Swiss cheese lack of coherency was the least of the worries....and just so this new money-making event.
May 5, '09
Almost as bad as the local storm coverage last December.
7:52 a.m.
May 5, '09
The good part is that the "clicker" and the push button radio were invented. I get a lot of use out of it these days.
May 5, '09
I (sniff, blow) completely (cough, hack) agree (sneeze, wheeze).
May 5, '09
I (sniff, blow) completely (cough, hack) agree (sneeze, wheeze).
May 5, '09
It appears that this is going to become a non-event in the grand scale of pandemics. Of course, the the pundits will opine whether or not the quick actions blunted the scope and severity of this virus, or if it was all overblown.
I'd come down on the side of a good, quick reaction and now that we are seeing a much lower level of infection and severity it is time to throttle back big time.
Any firther coverage will only feed the impression by many that the fears and concerns of pig, bird and Hong Kong flu are just crying wolf. That could be a huge problem if and when a major pandemic actually does hit.
9:12 a.m.
May 5, '09
Jeff, I think they harp on it because of it's catchy moniker, "Swine Flu." It slides right of the tongue in a sing-songy way that puts fear in the smartest of brains.
Less than 400 people have died IN THE WORLD (less that the basic flu that killed 33k in 2008) but the the addition of a perilous sounding word to the front of flu makes people crazy. For example, no one calls a little pig "swine." We call it "Babe" or "Wilbur." Once you call Pooh's friend Piglet "Swine-let," it's all downhill.
At the very least, it's conspiracy. We know over the years its been shown that overuse of antibactieral products lessens our natural defenses. Clearly, Dial and Jergens and Softsoap and Purell have been making a KILLING with paranoid Americans and people the world over. Check MSNBC's and CNN's segment sponsors. There MUST be a clue in there somewhere.
Jeff, when you find out, let me know so I can't stop making up lyrics for my debut album, "When the Swine Hit's the Fan."
9:30 a.m.
May 5, '09
There's no one silver bullet for wine flu, but if you drink a lot of water and make sure you have a full stomach, the symptoms usually go away within a few hours.
9:58 a.m.
May 5, '09
swine flu hit Oregon schools at just the right time.
May 5, '09
Before the election it was often stated; "Pigs will fly before we get an African-American President". And lo and behold the swine flu.
10:23 a.m.
May 5, '09
BOHICA, Who the F said that? Links would be nice.
May 5, '09
As Fauxnews would opine; "Some people say..."
Its called a pun.
You want links? Try these.
May 5, '09
It's pledge week on OPB anyway. By the time it's done maybe the flu coverage will be too. Hang in there Jeff!
12:23 p.m.
May 5, '09
BOHICA, YAY love links :) I love links as much as I love Wilbur Flu. Does Wilbur Flu work? Hope it catches on...
May 5, '09
If Bush was in office, the media headlines would read: -Swine Flu: Bush testing biowarfare tactics? -Virus unleashed on helpless Mexicans while Bush visited. -Is CDC (Center for Disease Control) complicit in the Bush biowarfare tactics -Did CDC cover up for Bush? -Million Man March on Wash DC protesting Use of Bio-warfare. -Millions Die across globe from bio-warfare tactics and Bush laughs from White House.
May 5, '09
Roy, that was my thought too. I had to choose thoughts to avoid being wordy. Yet another non-event; or an event reported way in advance of utility.
May 7, '09
Swine Flu, brine flu... Get rid of your 'spine flu' which reduces your immune system response and you become much better at tackling all flus. Healthy posture results in a healthy nervous system which will yield a healthy life. What? Preventative care? Incidentally, Disease care does not equal Health Care.
May 7, '09
I'll bet you're like me and have never once ever, in decades of internet use, clicked on one of the sidebar ads. Why are they there? Same reason swine flu leads the coverage. What leads this page? Ads by Google.
The invisible Ganesh powered pachyderm in the room is all that surplus population, with no life, eager to adopt whatever the masses define as one.
Love people? Want an equal chance to every person? Then don't make another one! There's more people on the bus than prudent safety concerns would allow.
May 7, '09
Posted by: Simon | May 5, 2009 12:33:08 PM
If Bush was in office, the media headlines would read: -Swine Flu: Bush testing biowarfare tactics? -Virus unleashed on helpless Mexicans while Bush visited. -Is CDC (Center for Disease Control) complicit in the Bush biowarfare tactics -Did CDC cover up for Bush? -Million Man March on Wash DC protesting Use of Bio-warfare. -Millions Die across globe from bio-warfare tactics and Bush laughs from White House.
And it would have been true! Right wingers seem to miss that subtle distinction...
May 7, '09
Incidentally, Disease care does not equal Health Care.
Incidentally, producing words does not equal having a brain.
Thanks, JK
May 14, '09
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Student: The swallow is beside the sparrow and the sparrow is beside the swallow.
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