Potentially speaking

by Alan Tyers

Should we be panicking? Nobody seems quite sure. But the papers are doing their best…

Pity the poor couple on the front page of The Sun today: newlyweds, no less, which always makes being sick so much worse in the world of the newspaper. Nice for the couple that we can all share in their illness.

But after the big shock horror headline – and The Sun is by no means alone in this sort of news bait-and-switch – what do readers actually discover? The disease is “potentially deadly”… There are more “suspected cases in the UK”…  The “deadly virus could infect up to 40 per cent of the UK population”.

Coulda, woulda, shoulda… Later in the story, it turns out that the couple who have the “potentially deadly” disease are, in fact, “recovering well”. Oh right. So not so much “potentially deadly” in their case. Or “deadly”. Just “not deadly”.

Over at the supersoaraway Guardian, you can follow the progress of swine flu via a live newsfeed. The first entry at time of writing was: “Stephen Fry has called for calm about swine flu on Twitter.”

Thank God. Stephen is alright and still able to Twitter. Even in these terrifying days of falling newspaper circulations – sorry, “deadly diseases” – life must go on, eh?

Comments

[ange]

I live in the west mids, some of my kids & myself have chronic health problems. I'm scared for my kids! Kids in schools aren't exactly hygienic & with the hayfever season in full swing , how do we know who's infected with flu or suffering with allergies?

[Lexx]

You know what, I'm pretty sure Swine Flu is going to spread country-wide. And we're all going to, uh, spend a week in bed and then recover. So, largely like normal flu really. Admittedly, a particularly bad case of flu, but not fatal wth the proper medical care which, flawed as the NHS are, we do have. Though we're all going to come out of said hospital and die of MRSA, so I suppose it may still spell the end of civilisation as we know it, but we'll deal wth that when we get there XD Though really I should be worried- There are now three confirmed cases up here in sunny Newcastle, one of whom works in the buiding opposite mine, my mate complained last night that he felt a "cold" coming on, and this morning I'm decidedly snuffly. Oh well, excuse me I have to leave now, got a tombstone to pick out XD

[Siri]

Still no fatalities outside of Mexico. Even the toddler from Texas who died had been brought over the border from Mexico for treatment. Last nights channel 4 news 7pm (I do like that bulletin it's so refreshingly sensible ) had an expert who tentatively suggested this flu affects the upper respiratory tract and not the lower - which will mean fewer lung complications and therefore fewer fatalities than was at first thought.
It is now all over the world but hopefully it will just mean a lot of people will be a bit poorly for a few days.
The world will catch a cold. Now please can we move on.

[Beryl the Peril]

EU is negligent for not stopping passenger flights too and from Mexico.

What does it matter to them. They won't be getting the virus they'll be keeping away very nicely.

Just let the masses die.

[Jo]

Al - too many of us here you reckon? You going to be first in the queue for voluntary euthanasia to reduce the population are you?
As for the government stopping us breeding? I wouldn't be surprised to see them try. They are massive control freaks

[Al]

Human kind continues to ruin the environment, squabble amongst itselves and generally over stretch and overpopulate the planet. I hope it wipes about about 3 quarters of us seeing as how we are too stupid to stop breeding and our governments are too greedy to make us. Viva Swine Flu!

[Jon]

Swine flu to affect everyone? Pigs might fly...

[mike]

As usual, the media (aka prophets of doom) have tried to create mass hysteria.
People die every year all over the world because of a particular strain of flu virus. The Mexicans are not sure how many people have died of the swine flu and how many died of another strain (they don't know the piggin difference!.)Two people in the UK have flu out of 60+ million people, and are recovering well. As Michael Winner would say "Calm Down Dears"
Oh my gawd!!...someone in the office has just sneezed!

[shockandawe]

I've been feeling rough all morning I think I must have this Swine Flu - should I call a Hambulance?

[Eric the Red]

Avian flu,meteorites crashing to earth,global warming - what next - honest and trustworthy politicians !!

[Lotty]

I think I've got swine flu, i've been feeling ill for a weeeeeeeeeek and I'm coming out in rashers. The doctor has given me some oinkment though and told me to come bacon in a week.

[Clare]

Over-reaction yes. But don't commercial weblogs stand to benefit if they can turn people against newspapers?

[Phil from Cardiff]

I agree with the comment at the top of this page. The Media latch onto a "potential issue" and scare the British public into believing they are under threat. And you are right in saying they did this with the Bird Flu. yes lots of birds were killed but it wasnt a "Gobal Pandemic" it was the Media Hype that made people worried and scared. As of today there is ONE confirmed case in the UK so its a FACT that you gotta a better chance of Winning the Lottery than Catching this!!! I do feel for the people who have cancelled holidays and to the families all over the world who are losing people to this virus but there are far more diseases and viruses that could kill you that the media dont Scare-Monger the public with.

[Malcolm]

This is yet another case of the media (I include radio/tv as well as the press) latching on to a "potential" issue and turning it into a "crisis" - they just love to get the public whipped up into a frenzy don't they?
They did it with bird flu (which never really materialised) and with the financial crisis (which I believe was actually made worse and accelerated by the media) - what next I wonder.....

[shockandawe]

we are going abroad next week to spain,ie tenerife but what worries me me and my wife have poor immune systems.due to medication,will we be safe can we cancel the holiday,do we have to go my wife is worried to hell.

Posted by: michael | 29 April 2009 at 09:29

Crikey fella - I bet you have a nightmare leaving your house what with all the nasty buses that could run you over and the gangs of chavs just ready to mug you and your wife. I think you should get a massive hamster ball and you can live the rest of your life safe in your bubble.

[Dan]

lol i love how so many people are thinking you shpuldn't worry about it, when it coms to it, people have died of it, and 1600 have been infected. People just expect things to be ok, and have a negative attitude towards needed precautions....and lets face it, british hospitals are filty, and useless at containing things people didn't even contract in the first place.

[The Bogus Anon]

Now we hear that Mexican labs are not differentiating between swine flu and bog standard flu, and the World Health Organisation is putting the number of confirmed Mexican victims of this particular strain at ...7
Nobody has yet died of it outside Mexico.
Hmm. I don't think I'll panic just yet then.

[andrew]

How many people live in Mexico, compared with the death rate and what age range; and how many people died last year of our 'standard' flu in Britain; without checking i bet its higher. just media hype juxtaposed with the need for more negativity. Is the global financial meltdown not enough!

[michael]

we are going abroad next week to spain,ie tenerife but what worries me me and my wife have poor immune systems.due to medication,will we be safe can we cancel the holiday,do we have to go my wife is worried to hell.

[Jason]

I thought that "sexing up" boring stories to sell newspapers and airtime was what journalists were paid to do.
Wasn't one of Bliar's advisers a journalist?

[BizR]

As this swine virus has joined forces with a bit of bird flu and some other thing I can't remember, it is potentially life threatening (it's killed a fair few in Mexico)..but a doctor on TV today said we don't know the 'hit rate'
The papers therefore are in a difficult position aren't they.
Just because nobody has died here yet doesn't mean they won't (even though our confirmed cases are recovering). So although they don't know how bad it might get they can't just ignore it.
Sensationalist rags like the Sun have readers who are used to a bit of exageration.