Homework? Nah, Media Rant!

Homework? Nah, Media Rant!

So, I had this assignment in Anatomy/Physiology where I was supposed to give my two cents on what I thought about the Swine Flu. Er... excuse me. H1N1. Sorry. Well, my paper turned into a media rant, twice as long as everyone else's. I really liked what I wrote, so I thought I'd drop it here. Sorry for the length. Also, note that several major things have changed since then. These are my initial thoughts, when the media seemed to know less about the disease.

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Media. It's what drives the nation, sells products, and informs the population. Comprised of TV networks, newspapers, web organizations, etc., the media is quite possibly the strongest force in America. Recently, the one topic favored by the media above all else has been the "swine flu." They have created a chaos not seen since the terrorist hating days post-911. Everyone has been affected by the scare, and the media's all to blame.

The flu itself is much different than the flu being reported. For starters, the news keeps calling it "swine flu." This is pure presumption, for no links to this strain of flu have been found in swine yet. The treal title of this strain is something like the "North American Human Flu," often referred to as H1N1. This is a huge factor in public impact. As history has shown, names are everything. This situation is no different. The media has caused the public to place doubt in pork consumption, though the Center for Disease Control (CDC) says a person cannot contrive this virus by eating pork. This could mean a huge setback for the hog industry. The media's coverage of this situation has caused too much stress in this field (and more) already.

Another effect of the media coverage is exaggerated reaction, which occurs after almost any news report. People from all over America have been driven into a state of panic, chaos, and suspicion, though they may not be remotely close to the situation. So far, there are only a handful of states with known cases of this disease. From those states, the ratio of contaminated/noncontaminated might as wee be zero. In many areas, citizens are taking unnecessary precautions through the closest confirmed case of H1N1 may be hundreds, or even thousands of miles away. Because the media has presented a horrible example to them, the public has no qualms about changing their lifestyle though they are in no immediate danger. Caution should be exercised, but not to this degree.

As with any illness, one should promote safety. In the recent events that have unfolded, the media has refused to promote safety, focusing solely on statistics, cases and death. What should be brought to light are minor changes an average individual can make to dramatically lower their chances of contracting this disease. Practices such as proper hand-washing should be at the forefront of the news reports at this stage, not "UPDATE! One More Person Has a Minor Chance of Getting Swine Flu!" The media should assume responsibility for its actions, and publish stories that promote the public's well being, not throw it into chaos.

"With great power comes great responsibility." -Ben Parker
This Spiderman reference is quite possibly the most applicable quote to real life in any fictional piece. It represents the weight powers have in society, and speaks to the honor that such powers hold. The media has taken this responsibility, and trashed it. The media of recent years has destroyed the glory broadcasters of the past have created, for seemingly no reason.