Global media 'fuels flu panic'
It is claimed that public anxiety over the flu has grown due to media coverage
While Brits have been inundated with headlines concerning swine flu in recent weeks, it seems we are not the only ones subjected to claims of impending doom on a daily basis.
More importantly, it appears that the world's media could be beginning to question the climate of fear it may have helped to create.
Recent figures from research body comScore revealed the number of US internet searches for swine flu jumped by 1,900% in recent weeks and blog publisher Arianna Harrington claimed these figures highlight the anxiety that excitable media coverage can produce.
She told Reuters that such reports, which may include TodayOnline's claims of a "lethal second wave" of the condition, demonstrate the media's love for "doomsday scenarios" such as the millennium bug.
It appears, however, that the US is not the only place to be caught up in such coverage, with an Australian medical official even claiming that people need to stockpile food.
So, who is to blame for such reports? Sociology researcher Pragya Mustafa had a very succinct view on the topic when talking to the Times of India.
"You can't blame the people for panicking. The media has created such a frenzy that people can't help but be afraid", she added.
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Comments
Maybe not just the media is at fault - there's a persuasive argument that other groups, ranging from politicians to virologists to the manufacturers of more or less useless face masks, all benefit from a good pandemic scare.
Cynic