Bad day for celebrities

[Heifzilla]

The ting about this "swine flu" that bothers me...The media doesn't make a point in first stating the fact that the folks this week in Aust that have died from it..were seriously ill already..One had terminal cancer, etc. Let's get some perspective folks..We're not all going to die from it..

Stupid Stupid media..

I agree about the media. However, this particular flu *is* also killing healthy, young adults unlike the usual flu that mostly affects the old, already ill, or the very young. So, while I don't think we should all run around with our heads cut off, I think we should pay some attention.

[PamNY]

The ting about this "swine flu" that bothers me...The media doesn't make a point in first stating the fact that the folks this week in Aust that have died from it..were seriously ill already..One had terminal cancer, etc. Let's get some perspective folks..We're not all going to die from it..

If there was no news coverage of the underlying medical conditions, how did you know about it?

[crazycanuck]

WHooops, didn't explain myself well there

What I meant to say is the media reported thier deaths but the underlying fact that they were already ill wasn't part of the first couple of paragraphs in the articles or in the headline..

[Zen]

Whether or not they had other medical issues the cause of death was still N1H1 influenza virus. it's not pandemic at this point but it's lurking.

[OakLeaf]

For "general" news, a couple more -

http://www.democracynow.org/
http://thinkprogress.org/
http://news.yahoo.com/world/oneworld
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/

There are a lot of other sites I visit for more focused coverage. I adore Robert Fisk (who is a riveting speaker as well - he's appeared on Democracy Now! several times), but for the most part I'd consider his columns commentary or background rather than up-to-the minute news.

And, H1N1 flu is pandemic as of two weeks ago. Guess that got lost under the celebrity headline du jour.

Real news is out there, slugged with headlines in a regular sized font. I know I have more time on my hands than most, but nobody is forcing anyone to read the celebrity stories.

[jobob]

Hee hee, I love how this thread is going all over the place. I'm likening it to one of those metabolic pathways flow charts.

[jobob]

Anyone read ( the late ) Jerri Nielsen's book Icebound? I thought it was a fascinating read, not just from the human interest perspective (which was very compelling), but it also gave a feel for life on a research station on the South Pole and how the people made it through the long antarctic winter (summer?).

[Aggie_Ama]

I am educated as a journalist but not working as one. Most journalists would rather report on the real news but papers are a business and Michael Jackson's death will sell a lot of papers in a time when their market share is very small. You can't really blame the media for trying to keep themselves in business. Every professor told us the same thing "if it bleeds, it leads". One called it "fascination with the abomination", more news on the crappy economy isn't going to get the casual consumer to buy a paper but a celebrity death might. It was shocking due to his age, you know there is way more to the story (he was supposedly an addict) and he was larger than life to many people.

I have been totally sucked into this articale on a local plane that crashed in Arizona and was smuggling drugs. It is way more interesting than the lastest unemployment rates.

[PamNY]

I am educated as a journalist but not working as one. Most journalists would rather report on the real news but papers are a business and Michael Jackson's death will sell a lot of papers in a time when their market share is very small. You can't really blame the media for trying to keep themselves in business.

You will never, ever convince even highly intelligent people of that. It is popular to believe that everyone in journalism is a sleazebag who has, from childhood, wanted to report on celebrities. Also, there is supposed be a magic revenue fairly who exempts news organizations from economic realities.

[Aggie_Ama]

You will never, ever convince even highly intelligent people of that. It is popular to believe that everyone in journalism is a sleazebag who has, from childhood, wanted to report on celebrities. Also, there is supposed be a magic revenue fairly who exempts news organizations from economic realities.

It is my belief that every journalist had bigger dreams but now are forced with reality of their business. I miss news writing but I know I couldn't do it professionally.

[Cataboo]

The fact that old & ill people die of the flu is something we should just ignore & not care about?

The # of people that die from the flu yearly is staggering.. and yeah, a lot of them are old and immunosuppressed, but I really do think we need some method that works of vaccinating them quickly or drugs that work. Because dying of the flu is so last century.

[Zen]

How can you do that with a virus that mutates?
Aren't immunizations made from a preceding virus?

[OakLeaf]

Personally I'd rather not find some new 21st century way to die.

[Fredwina]

Like hitting your head when the airplane blows a tire? (No more zorbeez)

[redrhodie]

Like hitting your head when the airplane blows a tire? (No more zorbeez)

I won't speak ill of the dead, but I'm not going to miss the yelling. Poor guy, though. I heard his last interview where he said he had gotten hit really hard on the head. Brain injuries are amazing. You think you're fine, then...it's too late.