Was Swine Flu Overhyped?
When swine flu was first reported, I thought it would be a one-day story. Then, I started thinking it was something I should be absolutely terrified over. (Thank you, mainstream media.)
But if you spent time listening to the CDC and its messages, they were quite measured. It was the likes of CNN — with its hours of coverage — that invoked fear. (If only we were this educated about influenza during its annual outbreaks.)
The following op-ed piece by Arthur Caplan, Ph.D., illuminates just how well various organizations handled this situation:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30567871/
Caplan suggests that although there were “elements of hype,” the overall reaction to the swine flu outbreak was appropriate. It’s an interesting take on these recent events and points to the importance of developing strong messaging and driving home those messages. Give it a read!
With all the different media outlets covering the Swine Flu, I can’t count the number of times wires got crossed and reports contradicted one another. You’re right; the CDC’s message was clear and came from a centralized place, while CNN, New York Times and Washington Post couldn’t decide on what the real information was. It seemed like the perfect example of how to react and how not to react in one event!
Caitlin
The best conversation I’ve had re: H1N1 flu was with a family doc at my hospital. I was prepping him for a media interview, and I asked him if he thought the flu has been over-hyped. He said, “Yes and no,” and also mentioned that he didn’t see it being any other way. “We didn’t know what it was. All we knew was that it could have been the cause of 100+ deaths. No infectious disease doctor or political leader would get on camera and play down a virus like that. Now, as we have learned more about the H1N1 flu, the messaging has changed.” Honestly, I give the media some credit. They had an unpredictable event to report with very little info that was certain. The CDC, health departments, infectious disease specialists, hospitals—we were all monitoring the outbreak and spread just like media was. I think the only difference between health orgs and media is that media had to report the story as it was breaking. We had time to determine how it would impact our health orgs and the general public.
In this era of 24/7 news cycles, “hype” becomes inevitable. The day’s “main” story gets the coverage out of a need to fill time, regardless of any story’s particular merit or newsworthiness.