O/T:- Are we over-reacting to COVD19?

**Bartlett's Dust** · 15-03-2020, 04:31 PM

UK death toll now up to 35 and confirmed cases at nearly 1,400, it's definitely escalating.

**Notsohumblepie** · 15-03-2020, 04:41 PM

Originally Posted by BigFatPie

Interesting exchanges, but Jackal thinks Guido Fawkes is a trusted source and that it’s ok for politicians to lie in referendum and election campaigns, so I would take his protestations about the meeja with a barrowful of salt.

His ongoing determination to play down the current health emergency is odd to say the least.

Perhaps you should refer to some of your political soulmates at The New Statesman

“why do BBC newsreaders refer, as each day’s coronavirus infection figures are announced, to a “jump” in cases? Not an “increase” but a “jump”, passing, as my Oxford English Dictionary puts it, “abruptly from one… state… to another, omitting intermediate stages”.

“The progression implies that we are most likely at the beginning of an epidemic. But we aren’t there yet. The BBC, if it must use alarming words – no doubt it is keeping “rocket” in reserve – should save them for later stages “

The media use of hyperbole has been appalling, and turned what should be deep, and genuine concern, into bog roll looting panic

**BigFatPie** · 15-03-2020, 04:58 PM

Originally Posted by Notsohumblepie

Perhaps you should refer to some of your political soulmates at The New Statesman

“why do BBC newsreaders refer, as each day’s coronavirus infection figures are announced, to a “jump” in cases? Not an “increase” but a “jump”, passing, as my Oxford English Dictionary puts it, “abruptly from one… state… to another, omitting intermediate stages”.

“The progression implies that we are most likely at the beginning of an epidemic. But we aren’t there yet. The BBC, if it must use alarming words – no doubt it is keeping “rocket” in reserve – should save them for later stages “

The media use of hyperbole has been appalling, and turned what should be deep, and genuine concern, into bog roll looting panic

Latest BBC update;

Posted at 16:0416:04
BREAKING
UK death toll rises to 35
Four**** more people have died from the coronavirus in the UK, raising the death toll to 35, the UK's health department says.

There have been a total of 1,372 positive tests for coronavirus in the UK as of Sunday, up from 1,140 on Saturday, the department added.

I’m no fan of the BBC news department, but I can’t see any hyperbole there. Moaning about media ‘hyperbole’ in what even our idiot PM says is the biggest health crisis in a generation seems to be getting your priorities wrong.

**sidders** · 15-03-2020, 05:13 PM

Originally Posted by jackal2

I would say that that the 'sensible precautions' are to follow the advice given by the Chief Medical Officer and DHSC Chief Scientific Adviser who is certainly more qualified than me and I suspect more qualified than you to give guidance. He has been advocating phased approach, but with extra precautions for those groups who are most vulnerable.

You seem to have dodged the point that by putting generally fit, well and younger folk into an excessive level of isolation, you only delay the spike and potentially cause an even bigger one down the line, because a degree of exposure to threats is required to keep our immune systems active and in a state of readiness for something like this.

My statistics weren't misleading. I compared the number of deaths against the total population whereas you compared the number of deaths amongst those known to have contracted COVID-19, which is an unverified figure anyway. It's simply a case of which context you wish to use. Talking of context...

On average in Italy every year there are around 4,000 suicides amongst a population of circa 60 million. The current Coronavirus death toll in Italy is around 1,440 which in terms of the number of infections is high and the toll could reach similar proportions to the suicide rate this year if not more, but COVID-19 will be very time limited in its impact, whereas the suicide rate has been fairly constant for at least two decades. Plus, where Coronavirus is known to be most dangerous to people who are old or have underlying health conditions, mental health issues have a wider effect across all ages.

The media are obsessed with COVID-19 because it is a new phenomenon that gives them 'breaking' stories and new figures every day and it is not 'routine'. Meanwhile, mental health issues which will cause the death of many more people, consistently year after year, barely get mentioned unless someone famous happens to end their lives, or an anonymous person's suicide is especially dramatic.

The media are not motivated by the 'public interest'. They are motivated by selling their products, and to do so they seek the kind of originality and drama that COVID-19 will provide globally for a period of time. Meanwhile 800,000 people across the world kill themselves each year and most go completely unnoticed, even though this is a much bigger, longer running, permanent 'story'. It just doesn't shift newspapers or attract viewers the same way.

You make the common misconception of identifying an entity called 'the media' and proceed to endow all agents, (newspapers, magazines, TV, radio) with the same characteristics. The meeja is many-armed many-eyed and has a multiplicity of owners.
You also contradict your own logic. Why shouldn't 'suicide' sell stories - full of drama and back story, the only asterisk is the danger of treading into a minefield of personal data. If you really think COVID-19 sells papers, you are very mistaken. Most people get their fill of info on COVID-29 off the broadcasting media. Now that sport is becalmed in the doldrums, watch the fall off in readers of the red tops.

**upthemaggies** · 15-03-2020, 05:22 PM

When this is all over and the dust has settled, the first sign of a new strain of flu will presumably see every country back in lock-down once again, just in case.

**jackal2** · 15-03-2020, 05:25 PM