The Swine Flu Scare: A Product of The Media

By Eric Ivanov on 05/15/2009

It's happened again; Swine Flu. It was recently discovered that the Swine Flu was not as deadly as people first thought. A sickness that has only infected a few thousand people worldwide has sparked a panic that reached across the globe, form Mexico where the first death occurred, to China where Mexican travelers were quarantined, then to the Egypt where thousands of pigs were killed thinking it would stop the spread of Swine Flu. In America we have seen the media flood the airwaves with coverage on the new strain of flu. They have reported it as a deadly pandemic that is a serious health risk to everyone.

If you look at the media's coverage it is mostly the same thing over and over again. Major television networks have all had "experts" on their shows talking about how to protect yourself, by washing your hands and disinfecting areas before you eat. The media gave constant coverage of the outbreak of Swine Flu in Mexico where it had first turned lethal. What they didn't cover was that Mexico's poor quality health care system could have led to sub par medical treatment, and help cause the death of the infected people. The media has blown Swine Flu out of proportion, making people scared for their lives. It's not just the television networks that are to blame; the New York Times has published over 100 stories on Swine Flu. There are even free online games that allow people to spread or stop Swine Flu form infecting people.

Why is the media covering Swine Flu with such intensity? It could be because they want to let people know what is happening. Or its because they can get record numbers of people to pay attention to their coverage, because people are scared and want to know what is happening.

No one really knows why the media has covered the Swine Flu so intently, but people must realize that the amount of coverage doesn't equal importance or urgency. It means the media found a good thing to get them viewers, and that they will report on anything from government officials like Vice President Biden saying people shouldn't take public transit, to a woman's memories of a disease, that was nothing like Swine Flu. At the end of the day, just remember to look for the facts for yourself; don't believe all of what the media gives you.

Supplemental video by Nicholas Brown. Music by Brad Sucks' "Making Me Nervous" via Creative Commons

Additional photos: ["Needle", attorneyatlaw.com, 2009; "Anderson", WorldPress.com, 2009]