One thing is a sure as death and taxes, Bad News. Our decaying world and its masses is full of misery, sickness, war, and death from many sources. Until the end of the present age things are only likely to get worse. That being said, there is another truth just as sure. What ever the major news outlets predict will not likely be nearly as threatening as what they report. The recent furor over the Swine Flu scare is a case in point.
Only hours after the first report of this new strand of flu, all of the major news outlets were predicting a “pandemic” of biblical proportions. Panic was in the air and panicked chicken littles were sure the sky really was falling. Now we know that Swine Flu is not nearly the threat espoused in the early few hours after the first report. The h1n1 virus (Swine Flu) actually will kill far less than the regular strand that someone we know has every year.
Would the global economy be better today if CNN, MSNBC, The New York Times and the usual suspects had not given alarming coverage 24/7 for weeks? Given, the U.S. economy had problems (largely created by U.S. Govt policy). The truth is that many fear stricken citizens stopped spending, yanked their money out of the markets, business leaders following suit by cutting back on production, R&D, and investing mostly for fear of what might be.
What will be next? Oh you can be sure the talking heads are poised to go on red alert with another scary story any hour. One would think that network news and cable news companies whose ratings are a joke would learn from their mistakes but alas they plod along with goof balls like Chris Matthews, Olberman, Blitzer, and other left wing hacks. The good news is that advertisers are beginning to back away from programing that they might in theory embrace but is not selling goods and services.
Just as any sector of a capitalist society must have a correction periodically to keep it healthy and strong, could it be that the U.S. news media needs such a correction? Maybe, just maybe if enough news companies go broke we might, just might, once again see news on TV and hear on radio real honest to God news. I am sooo weary of supposed news people who try to make news at the expense of just reporting it.
There now, I feel better.
Thanks for reading,
Royce
Grace Digest 
Hi Royce,
I spent 15 years working in the Chicken Little media, including the last three with The Associated Press, and I sometimes get real frustrated with the media myself.
But in this case, I think you’re shooting the messenger.
If I recall, it was the World Health Organization that declared a pandemic flu, and major government officials from President Obama on down who fanned the flames.
And if I recall, the economy exploded as a major issue right in the middle of the last presidential race. I seem to recall that the candidates, including one named Obama, certainly enjoyed fanning those flames.
Anyway, given my profession, I freely admit that I’m not the most unbiased source here.
Thanks,
Bobby
Bobby,
While much of what you say is true, there is no denying the major media often makes a mountain out of a mole hill. The idea that the media has not added to the economic problems is a stretch in my view.
Love you and your paper,
Royce
hi royce
thought i would stop by for a quick read..
on my way to star trec
enjoy your day
rich constant