Who’s Responsible for Educating the Public about COVID-19?

 

My husband went to get his hair cut this morning. His hairdresser — ahem, barber — is an 80-year-old woman originally from Cuba. And a lefty. I don’t know how the conversation started, but she was beside herself about the coronavirus. Of course, it was Trump’s fault, he was mismanaging the whole situation, what in the world was Pence doing managing the emergency team — you get the drift. She was on her way to get hand purifier (which is probably not in the stores anymore) and masks (which she may never need and won’t work). My husband tried to calm her by telling her the facts. She was not interested; after all, as much as she likes my husband, he’s a member of enemy forces!

Wednesday night, Fox News ran the latest press conference given by Pence’s team, not only providing up-to-date information on the virus, advising pre-cautionary measures to take, and answering stupid questions from the press, but promising to update the public regularly. Unfortunately, the conference was only broadcast on Fox News and CNN. I don’t know who will continue to broadcast these presentations.

Meanwhile, our barber/friend doesn’t read the newspapers. She doesn’t go online. And I suspect she doesn’t even watch TV to get her news. She counts on her collection of lefty friends to update/terrify her on a regular basis.

My question is: what responsibility does the TV media have to provide accurate information, rather than spending their time alluding to Trump’s causing the virus? What responsibility does any of the media have? Why do people prefer to commiserate with people who don’t know what they’re talking about, who stir the pot and cause fear in the hearts of their friends? What responsibility does our friend have to make sure she’s informed?

Sadly, she is a person who needs valid information, since at 80 years old, she could be at risk.

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  1. La Tapada Member
    La Tapada
    @LaTapada

    It would be nice if the media would take responsibility for reporting the bare, unbiased facts. My 34-yr-old daughter, who is liberal and was for Bernie in 2016, said to us recently that “the only thing the media does is pit us all against each other.” I believe she is right.

    • #1
  2. Susan Quinn Contributor
    Susan Quinn
    @SusanQuinn

    La Tapada (View Comment):

    It would be nice if the media would take responsibility for reporting the bare, unbiased facts. My 34-yr-old daughter, who is liberal and was for Bernie in 2016, said to us recently that “the only thing the media does is pit us all against each other.” I believe she is right.

    She is indeed. I hope that understanding gives her some balance in perspective for the political scene.

    • #2
  3. Samuel Block Support
    Samuel Block
    @SamuelBlock

    La Tapada (View Comment):

    It would be nice if the media would take responsibility for reporting the bare, unbiased facts. My 34-yr-old daughter, who is liberal and was for Bernie in 2016, said to us recently that “the only thing the media does is pit us all against each other.” I believe she is right.

    It’s where the incentive is, as best I can tell. If you just report to people who are philosophically aligned with you, then your audience is credulously pleased and you’ve made it clear to the people who disagree that they should probably just take their business elsewhere.

    Being held to a high standard is hard, and most pundits are just pretty and most journalists are mediocre. And the audiences aren’t generally overflowing with truth seekers either. Shallow times.

    • #3
  4. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    It is getting harder and harder to find trustworthy news sources. Too many of them insist on editorializing rather than reporting.

    • #4
  5. She Member
    She
    @She

    Susan Quinn: Of course, it was Trump’s fault, he was mismanaging the whole situation, what in the world was Pence doing managing the emergency team—you get the drift.

    I believe that basic Lefty principles should dictate that only someone who’s actually had coronavirus disease (and likely better yet, died from it, in order to pinpoint Trump’s perfidy and incompetence) is qualified to manage the emergency team. Isn’t that how it usually works? 

    • #5
  6. Susan Quinn Contributor
    Susan Quinn
    @SusanQuinn

    She (View Comment):

    Susan Quinn: Of course, it was Trump’s fault, he was mismanaging the whole situation, what in the world was Pence doing managing the emergency team—you get the drift.

    I believe that basic Lefty principles should dictate that only someone who’s actually had coronavirus disease (and likely better yet, died from it, in order to pinpoint Trump’s perfidy and incompetence) is qualified to manage the emergency team. Isn’t that how it usually works?

    Works for me! We’ll just have the victim come back from the dead–perfect! A zombie manager! It’s so sad . . .

    • #6
  7. DonG (skeptic) Coolidge
    DonG (skeptic)
    @DonG

    Clearly the answer is to put @Rodin on Pence’s panel of experts.

    • #7
  8. Rodin Member
    Rodin
    @Rodin

    DonG (skeptic) (View Comment):

    Clearly the answer is to put @Rodin on Pence’s panel of experts.

    Ha, ha, ha, ha. Maybe to pass out the coffee and pastries.

    • #8
  9. James Lileks Contributor
    James Lileks
    @jameslileks

    Twitter doesn’t help, to state the obvious. So much nonsense. There seems to be an assumption among the smartest-smarty-smart set that Trump has fired everyone in government except for MAGA snake-handlers who think viruses are punishment from God. It would all be so much better if they could tweet GIFs of Obama in sunglasses with the words I GOT THIS. 

    • #9
  10. Hang On Member
    Hang On
    @HangOn

    Ok. Devil’s advocate. There are rational and irrational fears. She is 80 y.o. Does she smoke? If so even higher risk for her. 

    Putting it onto Trump isn’t that rational. But the scarcity of test kits is one governmental problem. The other problem is reliability of test kits. There is also the info about warm weather that has me scratching my head. If it’s true about the virus not doing well in warm weather, how do you explain Singapore? 

    • #10
  11. TBA Coolidge
    TBA
    @RobtGilsdorf

    Are there PSAs? Maybe they could do something with fried eggs. 

    • #11
  12. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    The local news just ran another piece on coronavirus panic, followed by announcing a new daily show delineating all the latest developments!!!

    Self-awareness: < 2.5%. 

    • #12
  13. Kozak Member
    Kozak
    @Kozak

    Ok. I’m really getting tired of the “masks don’t work”  meme.

    Of course they work or medical professionals wouldn’t be wearing them.

    Ideally, in public everyone would wear a mask, to help those who are infected and asymptomatic from infecting others.  Those could be plain old surgical masks,  even home made masks.  If you want to decrease your personal risk, an N 95 worn properly ( and it’s not rocket science, will help there.   Gloves and copious hand sanitizer help too.

    The reason they are beating the “don’t wear a mask drum” is that we got caught with our pants down, and don’t have nearly enough PPE stockpiled around the country for a pandemic.

    Despite the governments spending billions of dollars  since 911  and the Anthrax scare.

    So now they are scrambling, and don’t want to have to compete with the public for a scarce resource.  I understand that. But stop lying. Treat us like adults.

    Somehow, the money spent over decades  has been spent, uh, more “creatively”.

    I can give you a personal glimpse into this issue.

    In 2002 I was an EMS medical director in a small city in Wisconsin.  As such I was on the local Regional Trauma Authority, responsible for setting up protocols and procedures for trauma care.   We received information that the feds wanted to set up an early warning, detection system for possible new infectious disease, biowarfare situations.  Grant money was coming.   

    Instead of setting up some system where information was tracked from doctors, clinics ER’s looking for a spike in possible infections,  the trauma committee decided the money would be best used in funding and expanding the trauma system itself.  Which was fine, but would do nothing to actually affect the issue that the money was supposed to accomplish.  In the end, nothing was really accomplished, and I bet the money continued to flow after I left that position.  

    • #13
  14. Kozak Member
    Kozak
    @Kozak

    James Lileks (View Comment):

    Twitter doesn’t help, to state the obvious. So much nonsense. There seems to be an assumption among the smartest-smarty-smart set that Trump has fired everyone in government except for MAGA snake-handlers who think viruses are punishment from God. It would all be so much better if they could tweet GIFs of Obama in sunglasses with the words I GOT THIS.

    You would think even Liberals would take pause and reconsider their religious belief that the answer to every problem is more government.   Leviathan has worked so well on this one… /s

    • #14
  15. Susan Quinn Contributor
    Susan Quinn
    @SusanQuinn

    Kozak (View Comment):

    Ok. I’m really getting tired of the “masks don’t work” meme.

    Of course they work or medical professionals wouldn’t be wearing them.

    Ideally, in public everyone would wear a mask, to help those who are infected and asymptomatic from infecting others. Those could be plain old surgical masks, even home made masks. If you want to decrease your personal risk, an N 95 worn properly ( and it’s not rocket science, will help there. Gloves and copious hand sanitizer help too.

    The reason they are beating the “don’t wear a mask drum” is that we got caught with our pants down, and don’t have nearly enough PPE stockpiled around the country for a pandemic.

    Despite the governments spending billions of dollars since 911 and the Anthrax scare.

    So now they are scrambling, and don’t want to have to compete with the public for a scarce resource. I understand that. But stop lying. Treat us like adults.

    Somehow, the money spent over decades has been spent, uh, more “creatively”.

    I can give you a personal glimpse into this issue.

    In 2002 I was an EMS medical director in a small city in Wisconsin. As such I was on the local Regional Trauma Authority, responsible for setting up protocols and procedures for trauma care. We received information that the feds wanted to set up an early warning, detection system for possible new infectious disease, biowarfare situations. Grant money was coming.

    Instead of setting up some system where information was tracked from doctors, clinics ER’s looking for a spike in possible infections, the trauma committee decided the money would be best used in funding and expanding the trauma system itself. Which was fine, but would do nothing to actually affect the issue that the money was supposed to accomplish. In the end, nothing was really accomplished, and I bet the money continued to flow after I left that position.

    Thanks, @Kozak. That makes sense!

    • #15
  16. La Tapada Member
    La Tapada
    @LaTapada

    The first 15 seconds of this are good for a (dark-humor) laugh:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mA1wqjaeKj0

     

     

    • #16
  17. Susan Quinn Contributor
    Susan Quinn
    @SusanQuinn

    OMG! I can see myself doing the same thing! But I promise to try not to!

    • #17
  18. La Tapada Member
    La Tapada
    @LaTapada

    Susan Quinn (View Comment):

    OMG! I can see myself doing the same thing! But I promise to try not to!

    I could never not touch my face. I’ve got allergies and I’m always rubbing my eyes.

    • #18
  19. Susan Quinn Contributor
    Susan Quinn
    @SusanQuinn

    La Tapada (View Comment):

    Susan Quinn (View Comment):

    OMG! I can see myself doing the same thing! But I promise to try not to!

    I could never not touch my face. I’ve got allergies and I’m always rubbing my eyes.

    Well, I guess we’d just better not be together then! ;-)

    • #19
  20. Danny Alexander Member
    Danny Alexander
    @DannyAlexander

    In principle, the PRC/People’s Republic of China ruling authorities have primary responsibility for educating all other countries about COVID-19, even if the information is mediated via each individual nation’s government and/or mass media outlets.

    What’s that, you say?  Not really happening like that currently?  Not gonna happen?

    Hmmm…  I wonder why that would be…

    • #20
  21. Rodin Member
    Rodin
    @Rodin

    La Tapada (View Comment):

    The first 15 seconds of this are good for a (dark-humor) laugh:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mA1wqjaeKj0

    No further proof needed that absent a good immune system we are doomed.

    • #21
  22. Goldwaterwoman Thatcher
    Goldwaterwoman
    @goldwaterwoman

    Susan Quinn: My question is: what responsibility does the TV media have to provide accurate information, rather than spending their time alluding to Trump’s causing the virus? What responsibility does any of the media have?

    I so wish we would all stop and think for a moment where we go if we are sick with this thing. Would we go to Washington D.C. to get tested? Uh, no, we would go to a local medical facility. Somehow we’ve gotten to the place where we look to big government for everything when we all  live in individual states with health departments, etc. I’m in Seattle where the numbers are the highest in the country. That’s the bad news. The good news is our own University of Washington has developed a test that will soon accommodate over 5000 people a day. The Seattle Times has a special section on the virus, and our local tv stations are doing an excellent job in keeping us informed. 

    • #22
  23. Susan Quinn Contributor
    Susan Quinn
    @SusanQuinn

    Goldwaterwoman (View Comment):

    Susan Quinn: My question is: what responsibility does the TV media have to provide accurate information, rather than spending their time alluding to Trump’s causing the virus? What responsibility does any of the media have?

    I so wish we would all stop and think for a moment where we go if we are sick with this thing. Would we go to Washington D.C. to get tested? Uh, no, we would go to a local medical facility. Somehow we’ve gotten to the place where we look to big government for everything when we all live in individual states with health departments, etc. I’m in Seattle where the numbers are the highest in the country. That’s the bad news. The good news is our own University of Washington has developed a test that will soon accommodate over 5000 people a day. The Seattle Times has a special section on the virus, and our local tv stations are doing an excellent job in keeping us informed.

    It’s gratifying to learn that some organizations aren’t politicizing this situation. Thanks, GWW.

    • #23
  24. danys Thatcher
    danys
    @danys

    La Tapada (View Comment):

    The first 15 seconds of this are good for a (dark-humor) laugh:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mA1wqjaeKj0

    This is very funny. My students & I were talking about CoVid-19 at the end of class today. I mentioned not touching our faces & how hard it is not to. They told me their Statistics teacher went over what we knew about who gets the disease and who’s most at risk for dying. He pointed out that there is still too little hard data to draw conclusions.

    We did have a moment of dark humor. I pointed out that among those of us in my classroom, if we all contracted it, I’d be at the most risk of dying and they could come to my funeral. One student asked if she could speak at my funeral. “Of course,” I replied. And then many jokes followed about what she could say.

    Bad information about CoVid-19 needlessly scares our children. Good information, common sense, and a sense of humor are needed.

     

    • #24
  25. Rodin Member
    Rodin
    @Rodin

    danys (View Comment):
    Bad information about CoVid-19 needlessly scares our children. Good information, common sense, and a sense of humor are needed.

    Absolutely. My three-person household has an average age of about 75. So naturally we are watching this pandemic develop with both an expectation of becoming ill at some point and wondering whether the my 89 year old mother-in-law will survive it.

    But a four-person household with an average age of 21 should not have any real concerns from the disease, barring a member having an unusual medical condition.

    We all should be concerned if the medical system gets overwhelmed and there are secondary fatalities associated with lack of care availability.

    • #25
  26. Kozak Member
    Kozak
    @Kozak

    Goldwaterwoman (View Comment):

    Susan Quinn: My question is: what responsibility does the TV media have to provide accurate information, rather than spending their time alluding to Trump’s causing the virus? What responsibility does any of the media have?

    I so wish we would all stop and think for a moment where we go if we are sick with this thing. Would we go to Washington D.C. to get tested? Uh, no, we would go to a local medical facility. Somehow we’ve gotten to the place where we look to big government for everything when we all live in individual states with health departments, etc. I’m in Seattle where the numbers are the highest in the country. That’s the bad news. The good news is our own University of Washington has developed a test that will soon accommodate over 5000 people a day. The Seattle Times has a special section on the virus, and our local tv stations are doing an excellent job in keeping us informed.

    That’s great.  And it would have happened 4 weeks ago if the CDC hadn’t  screwed the pooch on this.  How far did the infection in Washington spread in those 4+ weeks?  

    I’m not blaming Trump.  He unfortunately depended on the “professionals” to give him the correct advice.

    • #26
  27. Goldwaterwoman Thatcher
    Goldwaterwoman
    @goldwaterwoman

    Kaiser Permanente in Seattle also has already developed a vaccine and is advertising for volunteers. Yesterday Pence promised to fast track it once the results show it to be effective.

    • #27
  28. Rodin Member
    Rodin
    @Rodin

    Goldwaterwoman (View Comment):

    Kaiser Permanente in Seattle also has already developed a vaccine and is advertising for volunteers. Yesterday Pence promised to fast track it once the results show it to be effective.

    Interesting. Can any of our readers explain the process that Kaiser might be using to create the vaccine?

    • #28
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