"restrictions on mass gatherings"

[ampersand]

God don't even get me started on the MMR/Autism arguement.............

[Roger Explosion]

Scare Flu spreads from tabloids to the broadsheets

Scientists have confirmed that Scare Flu has now spread from the red top newspapers to the so-called ‘quality press’ which was thought to be more resistant to alarmist reporting. Doctors have warned that the ongoing outbreak of stories in the media about Scare Flu has now reached pandemic proportions. Fears are growing that the lethal infection may spread throughout the country, potentially causing mass panic on a scale not seen since a Scottish swan was supposed to have died from Bird Flu.

The outbreak began a few days ago with a few localised and moderate stories in the broadsheets about deaths in Mexico. Since then, it has spread with astonishing speed, infecting not only the newspapers but also the 24-hour news channels and the internet. ‘What is worrying us most is not just the speed of the epidemic but the way the scare story is mutating,’ said Dr Sean Russell, a specialist in viral media at Kings College Hospital inLondon. ‘One strain in the mid-market tabloids seems to be causing house prices to fall and illegal immigrants to pour into Britain. Another has caught on via websites, causing thousands of unfunny puns about ‘being pig sick’, putting ‘oinkment’ on or ‘coming out in a nasty rasher’. It is desperately worrying.’

Symptoms of Scare Flu panic vary but they typically include talking in an unnaturally sombre voice, excessive hyperbole and severe restrictions on the ability to process information rationally. Many victims have also suffered severe memory loss; completely forgetting that every other pandemic panic from the Ebola virus to Bird Flu has never amounted to anything and that cancer and heart disease are far more likely to kill them.

Doctors are advising people to be very worried about this new strain of flu for a week or so, after which it is probably safe to start panicking about stabbings, terrorism or global warming instead

Edited April 29, 2009 by Roger Explosion

[norainplease]

yeh, i dunno if i would call is a luxury if it just causes situations like this all the time, oh well lol, this thread should be changed to "lets all slate the media" lol

Edited April 29, 2009 by norainplease

[bombfrog]

Yeah, I know could all be a further government way to scare us into a controlling society, and yeah I know it could also just be a way for the major drug companies to make money - but it could be serious.

[TaylorT]

I'll be gutted if Glastonbury is cancelled.

[glasto_mongrel_2008]

I'm still going anyway. Even if there is a ban. I'm sure if everyone just turned up anyway we could have a jolly, after all, its not about the music

[sprocketrocket]

Hello I hoped my first post would be cheerier than this but here goes.....

"It is worth remembering that seasonal flu often poses a serious threat to public health: each year it kills 250,000 - 500,000 around the world."

[glastoman417]

It is becoming more and more difficult to determine what is quality news and what is mass hysteria/celeb driven/total and utter bollox, but then I suppose that goes hand in hand with having the luxury of having a "free" press!!!

[Mardy]

I don't think quality news exists any more!

There was a time when I thought the Guardian was a cut above, until I read this load of bollocks last year:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/apr/1...astonbury.urban

"As a black woman, I have always looked at the sheer whiteness of an event like Glastonbury and wondered what the attraction was. Sure, I enjoy a few bars of Coldplay, but would I risk a mudslide to see Chris Martin and co? I think not. I was almost tempted to go last year when the amazing Marley brothers were added to the bill, but this year is the closest I have ever come to picking up my tent and following the middle-class herd. Finally, Glastonbury is planning to showcase music I know the words to. This summer, I could be shouting the lyrics to Dirt Off Your Shoulder and 99 Problems as the sun started to set, with my brolly in one hand and a beer in the other.

Now, I won't even bother. One glance at the NME's website tells me all I need to know about just how inclusive Glastonbury still isn't."

When even the so-called quality press are printing someone's speculation based on something they read on the NME website, with ignorance and racism thrown in for good measure, you've got to wonder if you can trust any of the media!

Getting back to the flu thing though, it's true that the media will always paint the most alarming picture to sell papers, but just because past threats weren't as bad as they were meant to be, we shouldn't be too complacent.

[Tugger2k]

There's a fantastic book by Nick Davies called 'Flat Earth News' about this kind of stuff, how something like 80% of news stories are just rehashed pr pieces, how the quality papers have cut back on investigative journalism, how loads of articles are just copied from different sources. Really good book, well worth a read if you're interested in how the modern press works and gets its stories.

[Mardy]

cheers for the recomendation

i shall look out for that

i shall read it while watching series 5 of the wire

[TaylorT]

I'm still going anyway. Even if there is a ban. I'm sure if everyone just turned up anyway we could have a jolly, after all, its not about the music

[Tugger2k]

hehehe

*salutes*

Man, I love The Wire. We flew over last year to watch the whole of Season 5 in two days at the Curzon cinema in Soho. David Simon was there doing Q & A sessions and popping up between episodes to check we understood everything. Fantastic way to spend a weekend. McNulty and Lester Freamon also turned up on the Sunday. Watching it on the big screen was absolutely f**king brilliant.

[glastoman417]

There's a fantastic book by Nick Davies called 'Flat Earth News' about this kind of stuff, how something like 80% of news stories are just rehashed pr pieces, how the quality papers have cut back on investigative journalism, how loads of articles are just copied from different sources. Really good book, well worth a read if you're interested in how the modern press works and gets its stories.

[kohoutec]

OK who emailed Channel 4 news then, they just asked some health minister if Glastonbury could get canceled...his response was pretty much "it could happen, but there would need to be a big epidemic here first", ie millions infected

[glastonburynoodles]

hehehe

*salutes*

Man, I love The Wire. We flew over last year to watch the whole of Season 5 in two days at the Curzon cinema in Soho. David Simon was there doing Q & A sessions and popping up between episodes to check we understood everything. Fantastic way to spend a weekend. McNulty and Lester Freamon also turned up on the Sunday. Watching it on the big screen was absolutely f**king brilliant.

[sammysundae]

its not going to get bad. as long as people just keep flooding the BBC website with emails saying how pissed off they are that the media are scaremongering AGAIN then it will go away before you can oinktishu!

this is really beginning to piss me off. i'm not belittling the tragedy in Mexico, its very sad that they are unable to treat so many people. but thousands die every day from malaria. in fact, thousands die every day from conventional strains of flu.

i don't know what will solve swine flu, but i'm hoping that swine flu will solve the credit crunch, which solved bird flu, which solved terrorism, which solved oil shortage, which solved the millenium frickin' bug, which solved BSE.

catch my drift. the media scaremonger because it sells. it should be illegal, but it works. reasonable, rational people begin to fear something which they don't understand and doesn't effect them.

i refuse to live in a fear driven society. its bad enough with CCTV, wars on drugs (but not alcohol), wars on terror. a WAR on TERROR! what the hell is that?! everything the government does at the moment seems to aim to make people worry more and more about things in order to keep them in check by making them rely on the government and the media for reassurance. Ooh, there is extreme danger from this flu. but on page 19 we have a magical cure and a list of recommendations, what a ****ing surprise! "We've solved the credit crisis for you, now say thankyou and take this huge increase in national debt like good little drones".

the government does nothing but screw over its citizens at the moment at the only breaks we get are effectively stolen from the family silver.

i've had just about enough of all this crap about swine flu. nothing is going to come of it. glastonbury isn't going to get cancelled and now we can all sleep peacefully.

RANT OVER!

[sammysundae]

p.s. i rather like keeping in touch with the goings on in the world. what news would you recommend i read to avois this hysterical crap? i always used to think i could trust the BBC

[TaylorT]

its not going to get bad. as long as people just keep flooding the BBC website with emails saying how pissed off they are that the media are scaremongering AGAIN then it will go away before you can oinktishu!

this is really beginning to piss me off. i'm not belittling the tragedy in Mexico, its very sad that they are unable to treat so many people. but thousands die every day from malaria. in fact, thousands die every day from conventional strains of flu.

i don't know what will solve swine flu, but i'm hoping that swine flu will solve the credit crunch, which solved bird flu, which solved terrorism, which solved oil shortage, which solved the millenium frickin' bug, which solved BSE.

catch my drift. the media scaremonger because it sells. it should be illegal, but it works. reasonable, rational people begin to fear something which they don't understand and doesn't effect them.

i refuse to live in a fear driven society. its bad enough with CCTV, wars on drugs (but not alcohol), wars on terror. a WAR on TERROR! what the hell is that?! everything the government does at the moment seems to aim to make people worry more and more about things in order to keep them in check by making them rely on the government and the media for reassurance. Ooh, there is extreme danger from this flu. but on page 19 we have a magical cure and a list of recommendations, what a ****ing surprise! "We've solved the credit crisis for you, now say thankyou and take this huge increase in national debt like good little drones".

the government does nothing but screw over its citizens at the moment at the only breaks we get are effectively stolen from the family silver.

i've had just about enough of all this crap about swine flu. nothing is going to come of it. glastonbury isn't going to get cancelled and now we can all sleep peacefully.

RANT OVER!

[lianne and craig]

its not going to get bad. as long as people just keep flooding the BBC website with emails saying how pissed off they are that the media are scaremongering AGAIN then it will go away before you can oinktishu!..................

...................i've had just about enough of all this crap about swine flu. nothing is going to come of it. glastonbury isn't going to get cancelled and now we can all sleep peacefully.

RANT OVER!

[popcornmaster]

its not going to get bad. as long as people just keep flooding the BBC website with emails saying how pissed off they are that the media are scaremongering AGAIN then it will go away before you can oinktishu!

this is really beginning to piss me off. i'm not belittling the tragedy in Mexico, its very sad that they are unable to treat so many people. but thousands die every day from malaria. in fact, thousands die every day from conventional strains of flu.

i don't know what will solve swine flu, but i'm hoping that swine flu will solve the credit crunch, which solved bird flu, which solved terrorism, which solved oil shortage, which solved the millenium frickin' bug, which solved BSE.

catch my drift. the media scaremonger because it sells. it should be illegal, but it works. reasonable, rational people begin to fear something which they don't understand and doesn't effect them.

i refuse to live in a fear driven society. its bad enough with CCTV, wars on drugs (but not alcohol), wars on terror. a WAR on TERROR! what the hell is that?! everything the government does at the moment seems to aim to make people worry more and more about things in order to keep them in check by making them rely on the government and the media for reassurance. Ooh, there is extreme danger from this flu. but on page 19 we have a magical cure and a list of recommendations, what a ****ing surprise! "We've solved the credit crisis for you, now say thankyou and take this huge increase in national debt like good little drones".

the government does nothing but screw over its citizens at the moment at the only breaks we get are effectively stolen from the family silver.

i've had just about enough of all this crap about swine flu. nothing is going to come of it. glastonbury isn't going to get cancelled and now we can all sleep peacefully.

RANT OVER!

[Alcatraz]

Lol...nice rant up above.

Bits about the swine flu were good.

Not sure how it links in with blaming the government for everything else that's considered to be some kind of threat, when the government spend half their time downplaying the severity of things

[inspectedinspector]

f**k me, that's pretty much the definition of paranoia, right there!

Lot's of people on here with lots of opinions but few seem to have even bothered to watch the news of read a few paragraphs about what's happening.

This is not bird flu, or SARS, or foot and mouth. This is a flu which has already transferred to humans and is already killing and being spread across international borders. The WHO say that a pandemic would kill between 1 and 50 million people. That's why it's a big deal.

For those of you thinking that public events won't be cancelled, they already have been in Mexico and there are now 5 confirmed cases in the UK so I don't think it'll be long before the same happens here.

Now, I agree that scaremongering is bad, but this could kill a lot of people so I think it's only right that people take it seriously.

I'll be gutted if Glastonbury is cancelled, but if this disease starts killing as many people as it has in Mexico then there won't really be any other choice.

[Tugger2k]

The Who? Jeez. This must be bigger than I thought!

[inspectedinspector]

someone HAD to make that gag