by JohnJaySmith

Created on: August 17, 2007

"Your life and your family are in immediate mortal danger! Find out why, tonight at 10."

There are many different ways for the media to increase their viewership, or readership. But what is fastest and easiest? Nothing draws in the viewers like targeting that most basic, primal, powerful human emotion fear. There's mortal peril everywhere! Judging by the alarmist stories I've heard over the years, humankind should have already been completely wiped out by the killer bees, flesh eating bacteria, West Nile virus, and their newest evil cohort, the avian influenza. In fact, these evil forces are bound to join together and create an unstoppable super-epidemic any day now flesh eating influenza carried and transmitted by bees! Hide under your bed now!

But should we really be so afraid?

The horrific events of 9/11 brought terrorism to the forefront of our minds. Cynical members of the media quickly picked up on this hot commodity and utilized our fear for years of ratings boosts. But Michael Rothschild, a former business professor at the University of Wisconsin, has calculated the odds of actually dying in a terrorist attack: even in a worst-case scenario, involving WEEKLY airplane hijackings and/or mall bombings, the odds of being killed in a terrorist attack is approximately 1 in 1.5 million. (1) Terrorism is indeed a threat, but compare that to your odds of dying in a car accident (1 in 6.5 thousand), exposure to fire or smoke (1 in 86 thousand), or even an accidental fall (1 in 17 thousand). (2) And yet somehow "driving is dangerous" doesn't get as much exposure as "TERROR ALERT LEVEL ORANGE!" on the nightly newscast.

Of course, that's just the most obvious example. The media will also back up the nonsensical assertions of politicians if it means better ratings. One such example involves teen pregnancy and sexual education. Teen pregnancy is down, and comprehensive sexual education has been statistically shown to be the most effective way to protect teens. (3) But the country sure does love its alarmism, so of course when a politician thunders that "Abstinence-only education is the best and most moral education of all! Comprehensive sex-ed leads to promiscuity and pregnancy," the media are right there to pick it up and run with it. After all, "Your children are getting a well-rounded education and are statistically less likely to get pregnant because they know how to use contraceptives" doesn't grab viewers like "Your daughter is going to get knocked up by the age of 16 if she learns about sex!"

Be afraid, be very afraid. We're assaulted by this message on a daily basis, all in the name of ratings. Why are we allowing a news program's bottom line ruin our lives? Yes, there is danger everywhere, and perhaps you'll be taken out by a terrorist or the bird flu. Yet in spite of this constant barrage of danger, many people somehow manage to live to ripe old ages. So what do we do about this? Show some common sense, act carefully and protect yourselves from danger but don't let fear rule your existence. The world is a bright and beautiful place, full of joy and wonder. Don't let a series flashy ratings-driven graphics or alarmist anchor tell you otherwise.

Sources:
(1) "Terrorism and You The Real Odds" by Michael Rothschild, AEI-Brookings Joint Center. http://www.aei-brookings.org/policy/page.php?id=19
(2 ) "Odds of Dying", National Safety Council http://www.nsc.org/lrs/statinfo/odds.htm
(3) "Five Years of Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Education: Assessing the Impact" by Debra Hauser, Advocates for Youth
http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/s tateevaluations.pdf

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