Media Hype

When swine flu first hit the news, it was overhyped the way the 24/7 news industry typically does it. We got 24-hour coverage for several days and they made it out to be a disaster just around the corner. Of course they are chasing ratings, which is their business model, so it's hard to blame the media. We should blame ourselves for watching.

Then, after a few days of this, we all realized that is wasn't nearly as bad as all that, and we got burned out of the coverage. Now, we see very little. Again, without demand, there is no supply.

But I suspect the pendulum has now swung too far the other way. Reading about the NY school assistant principal who died from the swine (oh sorry, the H1N1) flu and the predictions of some experts that it could really get worse makes me a bit concerned. When we really do need to pay attention, which will be when the normal flu season hits us next winter, we probably won't. It will be really old news by then.

Usually, I criticize the hype the media gives these stories as a waste of time and for taking away time that should be spent on important issues and debates. But this time, it could cause actually hurt - or even kill people. This may sound like hyperbole, but if no one is paying attention, any future pandemic will be much worse.

I wonder if some enterprising person will think to sue the media over the issue after a loved one dies from the flu. They could claim that the hype cycle was in part responsible for the death because it reduced the public response. I doubt this would stand up in court, but the media would probably settle (without admitting guilt) to avoid the bad PR. If the settlement is large enough, maybe they would be forced to be more responsible and we would get less hype in the future. In general I hate frivolous lawsuits, but if this happens, I won't complain.