Re: UK newspapers' representations of the 2009-10 outbreak of swine flu: one health scare not over-hyped by the media?
Sarah JJones, Consultant in Public Health,
December 17, 2010
Sir,
The authors conclusions that the media did not 'over-hype' the swine
flu nondemic are reached as a result of a methodology that directed them
towards that conclusion; an analysis solely of the UK print media.
I travelled to New Zealand on 11 May - two weeks after the first
cases emerged - and arrived in Melbourne on the 5th June, a time when this
was arguably the swine flu capital of the world. Yes, it was apparent that
there was flu circulating and I fell victim to it, but the print media
response was far more measured and balanced than it was here. The joys of
the internet meant that I was following the print media in the UK closely,
as well as reading the major daily newspapers in both Australia and New
Zealand.
I suspect that an analysis of the UK print media v that of other
countries may expose our response to this nondemic for the hysteria that
it was.
Sir,
The authors conclusions that the media did not 'over-hype' the swine flu nondemic are reached as a result of a methodology that directed them towards that conclusion; an analysis solely of the UK print media.
I travelled to New Zealand on 11 May - two weeks after the first cases emerged - and arrived in Melbourne on the 5th June, a time when this was arguably the swine flu capital of the world. Yes, it was apparent that there was flu circulating and I fell victim to it, but the print media response was far more measured and balanced than it was here. The joys of the internet meant that I was following the print media in the UK closely, as well as reading the major daily newspapers in both Australia and New Zealand.
I suspect that an analysis of the UK print media v that of other countries may expose our response to this nondemic for the hysteria that it was.
Yours sincerely,
Sarah Jones
Conflict of Interest:
None declared