Cause vs Blame

Turn on the news any night. Watch celebrated reporters and news anchors ascribe fault or blame for something. Observe how they turn the news item to one of ownership by someone or some group. Leading questions is one tool of this sort of newscasting.

But does it tell the tale? Does it expand the audience’s understanding of the news item and its importance? Most often it does not. Most likely it creates unneeded tension and distrust of the audience for the now besmirched entity.

An example would be helpful here. The largest one is the treatment by the news industry (NBC, CNN, MSNBC, FOX, and others) of the CDC and its spokespersons concerning the COVID pandemic.

We hear of the prevailing confusion over CDC directives. We hear concern over the soaring pandemic spread, the why questions and the wonderment at shortage of COVID tests. We hear doubts expressed about leadership and effectiveness of work done in the name of the public. Doubt. Fear.

I have faith in the CDC, the NIH, the FDA and many other public agencies that protect the public’s health. Day in and day out, these agencies serve the public’s good. 365 days a year these folks work to protect you and I. COVID is just the latest challenge plopped on their desks. There are a blithering array of other diseases and threats to the public’s health. They do not have the luxury of ignoring any of them. All must be studied, understood and managed so the public is safeguarded.

Add to this the ever-changing nature of most illness and causes thereof. Viruses are always subject to emergence of new strains, new symptoms, new threats. And the health agencies are there to figure out how the viruses spread, how they affect patients, how they attack patients with an array of differing health conditions and pre-existing challenges.

Evidently newsmen expect instant pronouncements from the agencies on health threats, what to do about them, and when can we expect the threat to end.

I listen to these reports and wonder why no one states the obvious: COVID and its many strains are constantly delivering a differing landscape. There are no single causes, symptoms, or treatments that fit all people all the time. Each must be understood fully before such pronouncements are made, even then the whole picture is not available or understood by these scientists. Their work is never done. It continues as long as there are bacteria, viruses, and toxins affecting human beings. The etiology and epidemiology are constants of change. The message about these matters is also one of change.

Give these public servants credit for their ceaseless work on our behalf. Understand that they are attempting to make sense of things that do not stay the same. Their comments and announcements are for the state of the disease at that moment.

Best we hear them fully. Best we do not add to their pressure of disbelief and discredit of their intellect and efforts. Life is not simple. Neither is disease and death.

And then what does all this work amount to when 38% of the public feels put upon that someone suggests they take a pill, wear a mask, or get a vaccination against the current disease?

Talk about a thankless job. I expect better of the American public. I greatly expect professionalism from journalists. We are all in this together. Best we see each other as allies and not enemies.

January 6, 2022

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Intimacy

As we mature, we become deeply involved in relationships. Some of this is basic family relations – siblings, parental – and the like. Next is friends who enter our homes and we theirs. Neighbors, classmates, mutual hobbyists and so forth. Then we develop friendships that go much deeper. We comfort one another when we are hurting physically or emotionally. We discuss the matters of life and learn much more about ourselves and each other. We can even anticipate how others will react to various situations and stimuli. Good friendships do not spread to everyone we know. No, good friendships are special, close and deeply personal. We focus attention and brainpower on these few friends. Some special relationships focus on specific topics of interest and importance. Yes, we have specialized friendships. Most common. But one day, we get to know one person very well. An emotional connection forms with deep roots. A need to know the person more fully expands in personal ways. We sense this b...
Read more

Bits & Pieces

Pie: Apple pie more specifically. With Thanksgiving just passed, many of us enjoyed a good apple pie. Sure, there was pumpkin to accompany the turkey, but in our family multiple pies are offered in the holidays. Apple is surely one. Pecan, pumpkin and others, too. But I almost always choose apple. When I was in college, I was asked what kind of pie did I eat most often. In front of my mom, I answered apple, because I was always looking for a pie as good as mom’s own. Of course my mother was pleased, but it was a true statement just the same. When I was married, Ann’s pie was darned good. Her mother’s recipe. But we fiddled with the recipe until it took on its own generational name, and boy, was it good! Today I still order apple pie for dessert because I am always looking for a great pie to challenge our family recipes. I rarely do find such a prize. Do others do the same? Do you search for a great pie of choice, continually? If you do, what’s your story? Why do you do this? ...
Read more

Remembering Tom Sherlock

Tom Sherlock died on Wednesday, April 3rd. He was 65 years old and did not survive a heart surgery. That was his unexpected end and sad enough. But there is more to his story. Tom joined Dan Schuyler and George Safford to create what became the Village Chronicles, a weekly newspaper serving Warrenville, Illinois. That paper expanded to serve Winfield and then West Chicago. The paper published for eight years and built a good reputation for itself. Tom served the paper in several ways. He was our information technology guru, provided hardware and software to support the paper's operations. He was our sole bookkeeper, accountant and financial manager. He designed our distribution process and provided office space for meetings and layout and typesetting. His efforts supported the work of 32 volunteers who wrote and reported on the communities we served.  The newspaper broke even financially most of the time, but it was a struggle. Tom managed to find money to keep the newspaper afloat...
Read more