Do you think the media lives to scare Americans?

Fueled and fanned by their greatest fear-monger Barack Obama. How may times have you heard his trademark "The WORST since the Great Depression" Scare. Then there's the constant "it will get a lot worse" barrage and finally the Pandemic Flu (Less than 100 ill in the USA) Let event #3 of the Obama field day begin! The media can't keep their cameras and microphones off of him.

The media lives to make money. Most newspapers have forgotten how, and thus are in danger of becoming extinct. The saying "If it bleeds, it leads" is not because it grosses you out, it is because it makes you tune in.

Everybody will tell you how much they hate Jerry Springer, but have it on in a busy public waiting room, and then go try to change the channel.

The media may be whores, but we are the willing johns.

I think the media does not convey scientist speculation correctly in the manner it should.

TO a journalist, a scientist's speculation may sound particularly frightening when we are speaking about disease outbreaks and to convey the realistic risk vs the possibility is quite difficult when trying to convey that to people who don't think the same way.

When commenting on a risky situation like an outbreak, scientists will always assume the null hypothesis to be true while working toward the alternate.

In other words, when human lives are at risk, we will assume that the worst possible scenario is true while working to prevent it.

The only way to convey this realistically enough for people to take it seriously and take precautions is to state to them the worst possible scenario.

Unless you see people in lab coats running back and forth screaming like a little girl "we're all going to die!" don't panic.

It's not just the media in the US that's doing that, it's the media in all countries around the world that are talking about this and comparing it to the Spanish Flu in 1918.

You are spot on. This swine flu crap is just what the media loves and they are pushing it to the far limits. Everyone knows that people die every year from the flu. Just because this particular flu has not been around, they want everyone to panic. OMG, what shall I do, I'm going to DIE. The Media are IDIOTS.

They have been for a good while

After 9/11 the local media was saying not to go to the mall in the town I lived in at the time (about 40,000 people).

Yes they do use scare tactics

Hmm I do not remember anyone worried about the flu then in 1976

My first child was born then and I was very health conscious

If it wasn't for the media telling people how bad the economy is every single day, we wouldn't have had a recession! We would still be buying stuff and many people that lost their jobs would still have them!!!

yes, and the government knows it works. that's why they use the media to fear-monger such things as swine flu and the stimulus plan. all administrations use it. kennedy used it to bluff the russians bush has(both of them) and obama is using it too

Yep. For the media (all of them), ratings and readership is what it is all about. The more they can make you watch, the better their numbers or sales.