It's Amazing How The Media Can Create Irrational Hysteria (Somali Pirates Story)

[Yavin4]

Yes, the pirates story is serious. Yes, it may be tragic for the captured captain and his family, but there are graver and more serious problems that are occuring every day.

How many more Americans will die this year because of our inadequate health care system? How many more Americans will die in our two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan?

The mass hysteria and panic over the Somali pirates story is eblematic of how our media culture distorts reality to actual and real problems that threaten all Americans.

[The Straight Story]

1. I can see covering it, but with several 24x7 news channels

You would think they could be covering just about everything under the sun.

Instead we hear the same story for days for hours a day.

[cali]

4. They aren't solely covering this story. That's simply not true.

[The Straight Story]

8. Didn't say they were,

Was referring to the amount of time/resources towards certain stories. A quick update can often replace the lengthy discussions where little new news is added but lots of speculation is.

Coming up at 8 on CNN - a special on whether or not Somali pirates can be stopped.

[NorthernSpy]

2. Even more amazing is how LITTLE of the story they're reporting...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5435385

[cali]

3. the lack of understanding here of why a story captures the public

imagination, never ceases to amaze me. Here's some basic info for you.

What makes a story compelling? A hero in a bind is a timeless theme. It's captured the imaginations of humans since stories were first recored. What else? Novelty. This is a new story. Healthcare, Afghanistan and Iraq, though clearly much bigger issues, are not novel and they don't have an obvious face we can fix on.

Your claim of hysteria is almost wholly false. And the why of public interest, is much more complex than "the big bad media did it.".

Oh, and I'm from a town not far from Captain Phillips. Yeah, people here are closely following what's happening. No hysteria involved.

[Hannah Bell]

5. The news isn't a comic book or movie. I don't ask to be "compelled" by "timeless themes".

I want to know what's happening in the world.

And of course "the media did it." You're saying someone else decides what to cover & how much space to devote to it, & which "facts" to focus on?

[cali]

6. This is about human nature- something you seem utterly clueless about

I'm stating that since the beginning of human history, people are drawn to certain themes. That you are flat ignorant of that, is only to be expected, dear

[Hannah Bell]

7. I repeat, consumers don't select the news that gets play. "Dear."

[cali]

12. As I said, your knowledge of human nature- and history- span

the spectrum between A and, well, A.

[Hannah Bell]

13. Doesn't refute the point, dear. What gets covered isn't selected by consumers.

And a good deal of the time, what gets covered is press releases & irrelevant bullshit distractions.

Everyone knows it, no matter how folks like you try to spin it, dear.

[ThomWV]

9. Somali Pirates pose about the same level of threat to us as Sadam did.

Seriously, they can disrupt oil flow, he couldn't even accomplish that.

[Yavin4]

10. Again, This Is A Problem of Globalization

These mega international conglomerates love globalization because it drastically lowers labor costs. However, there are other risks such as Somali pirates. These conglomerates need to pay to protect their booty. It's as simple as that.

[stray cat]

11. How many Africans died today? That is actually more important in terms of numbers

but American news cares about Americans. That includes our health care system and our economy - both small fries in terms of numbers who die in less developed countries. The news should really cover the world and spend less time across the board on American concerns if we really care about people worldwide.

[stillcool]

14. there is a reason why they choose..

to tell us what they would like to tell us. Perhaps we're getting prepped for our next war in Somalia.