by Mark Silva
The flu is gone.
From the headlines, that is.
The bank "stress tests'' helped do it in, media researchers say - not to mention the apparent lack of any substantial public health threat from the Swine Flu.
(The story may have lost its snort when the government started calling it H1N1. How else explain a loss of interest in a disease now confirmed or probable in 4,298 cases in the United States --- in 47 states -- just weeks after President Barack Obama called 20 cases "cause for concern'' but not alarm? Maybe it's the three U.S. deaths)
In his report - "Feed an Economy, Starve a Flu" - the Pew Research Center's Mark Jurkowitz suggests that the sudden spike in news attention toward the health of the nation's banks, as measured by Treasury's stress tests, helped overcome the public's interest in H1N1.
"The release of the financial health reports of 19 major banks helped make the economic crisis the top story from May 4-10, according to the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism. The economy's health filled 21 percentof the newshole studied in PEJ's weekly News Coverage Index during the week,'' he reports.
"That's double the coverage of the previous week and the most attention the financial meltdown has received'' in 55 media outlets studied in six weeks.
"Conversely, coverage of the swine flu outbreak -- while still the No. 2 story at 9 percent -- plunged by more than two-thirds last week as evidence suggested the virus was less severe than previously feared,'' he reports. "The previous week, the potential for a pandemic had overwhelmingly dominated the news agenda, accounting for 31 percent of the coverage and crowding most other subjects out of the headlines.''
For more on the threat that wasn't, see Pew's report on its News Index study. (Photo of Hungarian hogs by Bela Szandelszky / AP)
Comments
Or perhaps people are responding rationally to the realization that the strain is far less virulent than people originally feared.
Posted by: Chris | May 14, 2009 5:37 PM
breaking news: NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg has just announced additional school closings in the borough of Queens in what appears to be additional outbreaks.
Posted by: Kenny Bunkport | May 14, 2009 6:44 PM
ALTERNATIVE PHOTO CAPTION
Rush's followers congregate to get a better view. "Bruce, what the hell are you doing back there," asks John D.
Posted by: Kenny Bunkport | May 15, 2009 11:26 AM
Another victory for Obama!!!!!
Doin' a heckuva job!!!
Posted by: gus | May 15, 2009 2:54 PM
alt cap:
'Pardon me, my good swine, but I do believe that is my truffle you are standing on.'
Posted by: C.Morris | May 15, 2009 3:15 PM
"You can be a real human sometimes.''
Posted by: Mark Silva | May 15, 2009 3:39 PM
"Which way to the pork on Capitol Hill?"
Posted by: Kenny Bunkport | May 15, 2009 4:16 PM
"This place is a sty."
Posted by: Kenny Bunkport | May 15, 2009 5:20 PM
"A little bit to the left."
Posted by: Mark Silva | May 15, 2009 5:27 PM
"Bruce, put some bacon grease on that," said John D.
Posted by: Kenny Bunkport ☯ | May 15, 2009 5:43 PM
"When are they going to finally repeal the "Don't ask, Don't squeel" policy around here?"
Posted by: Nick | May 15, 2009 6:08 PM
"Well, my 15 minutes are over. Sighoinksighoinkkkk."
Posted by: C.Morris | May 15, 2009 8:31 PM
OMG swine flu sucks haha where is the bacon haha
Posted by: blcn thug | May 21, 2009 4:46 PM