Responsible Reporting....A thing of the Past?

I've thought that News Reporting has been less then responsible for quite some time now, but with this over reaction to the Flu is startling and even down right scary. Every network and most reporters are all out there looking for the next BIG story because they want BIG ratings.

Unfortunately, when these stories are only half told or slanted to a particular viewpoint it creates a false perception of realty...and guess what, perception IS reality.

This whole Swine Flu reaction is unbelievable to me. Here is Texas, schools are being closed for weeks, ALL athletic events for youth activities have been canceled, and the state is just in a tizzy. Seems every place I turn or each person I interact with has the Swine Flu on their mind.

The frightening part to me is not the flu or it's potential to end the human race like it is being reported, but it is how easily people get sucked into believing everything they hear. Nobody seems to be questioning any of this reporting or it's viability as a real threat to everyone.

Is it that simple to scare an entire country of people and force them into an abstract belief of reality?

What are the facts?

• Over 30,000 people die every single year due to the regular seasonal flu. Many of these are children under 5 years of age because they immune systems are not as strong as adults.


• There has been 1 death from the Swine Flu in the United States. This was a child under 2 years of age that is from Mexico visiting family. The child was not a U.S citizen and he suffered from another medical ailment already.

I just cannot wrap my arms around how this new strain of the common flu demands this kind of scrutiny. If it is this easy to scare a nation, what else is possible? How easily can a country be tricked into something?

All this fear mongering really has me worried that as a country we are not as independent in mind set as we should be. Has nothing been learned from tactics of "leadership by fear" in the past? Where will the fear tactics stop? More importantly when will the people stop following blindly the advice and thoughts of people that have ulterior motives?

• Be vigilant in learning about something for yourself.
• Do NOT take everything you hear as fact, even if is from an outlet that should be providing facts.
• If EVERYONE is being led down a particular uncertain path, it is a GOOD time to ask questions BEFORE following.
• Use your mind and create your thoughts. Opinions that are not the same as the majority are good. They create an educated dialogue.