The mass media made a fuss about the bird flu (avian influenza,) but we weren't able to know the essence of the bird flu problem.
Japanese Edition
AvianInfluenzaFuss
The fuss began with the prohibition of the import of chicken and chicken eggs from the avian influenza spreading countries. The fuss entirely changed to the domestic infection problem since when the hidden mass death of chickens on a chicken farm was exposed in Japan. The husband and wife who were the chairman and a manager of the chicken farm could not bear the blame of concealment of the fact and killed themselves. After that the fuss changed to the problem of the infection between chickens and crows.
The same virus, which was found in chickens, was found in the dead body of a crow. The mass media sensationally began to report the inspection results of crows. But the report on the inspection of the workers, who came in contact with the flu infected chickens in the farm, has not done (Possibly I failed to catch the news.)
Sometimes I was able to hear the cool correct commentaries on the flu but those were not so many. I can remember the following commentaries;
The infection to human has not found in Japan.
If the virus that was infected to human from the chicken mutates, it will be troublesome problem.
Don't overreact to the flu infection.
The eggs are safe because they are washed before they are sent.
If you heat chicken higher than 70 degrees centigrade, you can safely eat it.
But I was blinded by the sensational news. I got scared by proportioning the possibility of infection to the big damage of chicken farm. I think that the mass media had to repeatedly announce the above cool commentaries if those were the authorized facts.
After that, I heard the warning, "Be sure to put on your gloves and goggles when you touch chickens." And on TV I watched the scene which a scholar caught a wild bird by his bare hands to inspect the virus. I began to realize that the virus is not so dangerous with these two experiences. After all I began to eat again chicken and eggs.
By the above news I knew that the mass media tend to announce easily available news only. I thought it meant that the audiences' needs were almost neglected. Excepting poultry farmers, most people only want to know whether "I" will be infected or not. Most people want to know the future effects of the news on our life. I think this is the biggest difference between news reports and entertainment reports. I hope that the mass media endeavor to get the audiences' and subscribers' needs.
In connection with needs I would like to talk about the earthquake news. I was thinking that the detail news about the earthquake which had not brought any damage was unnecessary. In fact, until a few years ago, TV repeated the announcement of "the focus of an earthquake" and "the map of its minute seismic intensity" using much time and did not immediately announce tsunami warning. So I had to irritatingly wait for the most important tsunami warning. It was obviously improved. The earthquake information and the tsunami warning became to be announced at the same time on the TV. When an earthquake did not leave behind any damage, the news need not be repeated. Such information should be stored on a web site and people who want the information should access it. (I don't know whether such web site exists already or not.)
In case of the typhoon, we truly require the information which we can forecast the damage of our town. Near my house, wind blows often stronger than the typhoon wind, but TV does not announce it. However, when a weak typhoon approaches Japan, TV makes a fuss about it until it leaves Japan islands. TV does not make difference whether damage is large or not. It is meaningless to watch, for a long time, the scene of the towns which did not suffer damage. The old villager's opinion, "From my experience, wind will blow ..." is more desirable than the report which is told by a newsman who is inexperienced in the typhoon damage.
In case of the earthquake, I think the mass media do not self-righteously report the earthquake information, because the seismologist's opinions are strongly reflected.
In case of the avian influenza, I think the mass media should have gathered the views of scholars and doctors before they make the fuss. At least the known fact and the unknown thing should have been distinctly separated and reported. And "the thought that the absolute safety does not exist" and "the height of the probability of infection to human" should have been explained repeatedly.
I hope that the mass media report not only the fact about news but the useful commentary about it. When the mass media compete with each other for the quality of the commentary, news programs and articles would become more interesting and useful. As the result I will watch more frequently TV and the newspaper.
Uploaded April 19, 2004
Revised July 16, 2005
Revised June 6, 2006