Covid 19 and the Media

[Ram59]

No matter what the Government say you'll always have folk disagreeing. They can't please everyone but most of the blame is with the public. It's no use some of us using common sense then a load of folk doing what they want as it isn't going to solve anything. We all know what we should be doing to help but there are to many folk just interested in having a good time and can't be arsed to help the cause. The problem won't be solved until there's a vaccine but things could be better if we all used our common sense!

Trouble is, the vaccine isn't going to be the magic bullet that everyone wants. An American 'expert' recently said that in a survey, only 42% of the people would be prepared to vaccinated to start with. Many would wait to see if worked OK.

Also any country would take up to 12 months, to vaccinate the whole population.

[AdiSalisbury]

The sad thing is that it's not the irresponsible ones that are dying. Added another person I know to the list of fatalities today. 😢

Sorry to hear of your loss

[ramAnag]

No matter what the Government say you'll always have folk disagreeing. They can't please everyone but most of the blame is with the public. It's no use some of us using common sense then a load of folk doing what they want as it isn't going to solve anything. We all know what we should be doing to help but there are to many folk just interested in having a good time and can't be arsed to help the cause. The problem won't be solved until there's a vaccine but things could be better if we all used our common sense!

‘Most of the blame is with the public’. Is that entirely fair?
Wouldn’t it be fairer to say...some of the blame lies with a minority of the public?
By and large ‘the public’ have made huge sacrifices in terms of surrendering many aspects of lifestyle, family life and even job loss as a result of the pandemic and yet still, I agree, a minority continues to behave irresponsibly.

It’s possibly true to say that, ‘no matter what the Government says you’ll always have folk disagreeing’, but surely an equal, at least, responsibility lies with confused and misleading messages from government.

From Dominic Cummings’ behaviour to failed Apps, confusion over schools and returning to work, the flawed ‘eat out to help out’ policy - replaced within a month by the 10.00pm curfew - and the frankly unbelievable current situation with young students migrating to live together in already Covid hit communities...is it any wonder ‘the public’ are confused or that some have just thought, ‘sod it’?

I completely agree that there has been a shortage of common sense and being all in this together from some, but it’s only a reflection of what we have seen from government, imo.

[MadAmster]

One of my sons (the pilot) tested positive this week. He got a phone call from the airline, a Captain he flew with last week had tested positive. He went for a test himself and was also positive. Fortunately only mild symptoms (a cold) but nonetheless it's somewhat worrying.

I have noticed recently that news outlets in the UK, US and NL have all started referring to the PCR test as a Corona test as opposed to a COVID-19 test. Might that be because the 36 year old PCR test is, actually, a generic Corona virus test and not a specific CV-19 one. That would mean it shows positive for all Corona viruses including the common cold and all the various strains of flu. It even tests positive if you have ebola.....

[ramAnag]

One of my sons (the pilot) tested positive this week. He got a phone call from the airline, a Captain he flew with last week had tested positive. He went for a test himself and was also positive. Fortunately only mild symptoms (a cold) but nonetheless it's somewhat worrying.

Sincerely hope he’s okay, ‘Amster. From what you’ve described elsewhere he’s a fit and strong young man so I’m sure he will be, but it’s always a worry when these things get closer to you and yours. Good luck to him and to you.

[MadAmster]

Thanks rA. I'm certain you're right but a Dad aint a Dad if he doesn't worry about the young uns..........

[Andy_Faber]

‘Most of the blame is with the public’. Is that entirely fair?
Wouldn’t it be fairer to say...some of the blame lies with a minority of the public?
By and large ‘the public’ have made huge sacrifices in terms of surrendering many aspects of lifestyle, family life and even job loss as a result of the pandemic and yet still, I agree, a minority continues to behave irresponsibly.

It’s possibly true to say that, ‘no matter what the Government says you’ll always have folk disagreeing’, but surely an equal, at least, responsibility lies with confused and misleading messages from government.

Don’t agree, there are elements (I’ll describe them as they majority of a number of minorities of the public) who either never took the slightest notice in the first place or don’t have the mental fortitude to exercise self-sacrifice for any length of time.

Going back to the media thing, I think there must have been some work done, and conclusions drawn, on demographics which HMG are reluctant to publish, because last night and this morning the broadcast media were all over the subject no matter what channel and no matter who was interviewed. It felt like the media were trying to draw HMG into admitting something that would identify them as ageist, racist, ‘Southist’ or all three. There’s defo no provenance to that feeling but the change in tack of questioning seemed strange, like there’s been a leak (and when hasn’t there).

[ramAnag]

Don’t agree, there are elements (I’ll describe them as they majority of a number of minorities of the public) who either never took the slightest notice in the first place or don’t have the mental fortitude to exercise self-sacrifice for any length of time.

Going back to the media thing, I think there must have been some work done, and conclusions drawn, on demographics which HMG are reluctant to publish, because last night and this morning the broadcast media were all over the subject no matter what channel and no matter who was interviewed. It felt like the media were trying to draw HMG into admitting something that would identify them as ageist, racist, ‘Southist’ or all three. There’s defo no provenance to that feeling but the change in tack of questioning seemed strange, like there’s been a leak (and when hasn’t there).

So...I’m saying it’s a ‘minority of the public’ and you’re saying you disagree...’it’s a majority of a number of minorities of the public’.
I’m not sure there’s a difference...it’s still an irresponsible minority no matter what form it takes...mask/social distance protestors, Covid deniers, or ravers...whatever.

Point is...it’s the government/authority contradictions previously referred to that are doing much more harm than the media referring to them.

[Ram59]

Point is...it’s the government/authority contradictions previously referred to that are doing much more harm than the media referring to them.[/QUOTE]

But, I'm going back to my original point here RA, this thread is not about a competition about who's most to blame, we're discussing the media and their responsibilities and actions.

It's like having a thread about DERBY'S terrible start to the season and you keeping on arguing that the EFL have been worse.

Incidentally, on testing MA, my friend, who works in F1, has been tested many times in quite a few locations recently. He told me last night that the 2 Lots of tests in Russia, recently were a joke. The normally invasive swab tests, barely went inside the nostril and only scraped the inside of his cheek it's almost as if they didn't want to risk getting positive results.

[ramAnag]

Point is...it’s the government/authority contradictions previously referred to that are doing much more harm than the media referring to them.

But, I'm going back to my original point here RA, this thread is not about a competition about who's most to blame, we're discussing the media and their responsibilities and actions.

It's like having a thread about DERBY'S terrible start to the season and you keeping on arguing that the EFL have been worse.
[/QUOTE]

Hardly a fair comparison, Ram.
When you started this thread, three weeks short of six months ago, you wrote, ‘Whilst I don’t expect them to act as a propaganda mouthpiece for the government, I expect them to show a little responsibility when reporting the issue.’
In doing so you correctly established a clear and unavoidable link between ‘Covid and the Media’ and more particularly the media’s reporting of the government’s handling of the Covid crisis.

My point is that, yes, people have criticised the media, especially the BBC, for some of their coverage, but I for one am not seeing it as a ‘competition about who’s most to blame’. There is no competition. The government governs (allegedly) and the media reports and comments.

You also wrote, ‘At times like this the media have responsibility to question the government...’.
Indeed they do and the government have, imo, made enough serious mistakes to make that ‘questioning’ very easy. I’m not sure when they’ve lacked ‘responsibility’.