Week 8 post 1

Week 8
FOCUS is on coronavirus
Sensationalism- (especially in journalism) the use of exciting or shocking stories or language at the expense of accuracy, in order to provoke public interest or excitement.
^ in other words fake news!!!
The dangers of Sensationalist Media, 22 apr 2017 by perley (the organization of world peace)
  • Note this article was written in 2017 about an entirely different issue yet it is still applicable
  • In this case the media had convinced citizens that america is at war with north korea which caused panic and despair
  • Corporate news is created and marketed to sell papers, subscriptions, and in the modern world, to entertain. Yet, the public is often convinced that these organisations exist to inform and subsequently lap up every tidbit of information presented in “reputable” media.
  • sensationalism in journalism in nothing new. From a financial perspective, it makes sense. Humans have a tendency to love sensationalized stories, especially those with blood, violence, and sex. 
  • world events are uploaded with clickbait bylaws within 10 minutes of occurring – with no time to gather evidence and consider facts – sensationalism is growing into a bigger threat
  • The issue lies in not wanting to violate free speech
  • The sensationalism has led to extreme polarization between citizens, ex. Cnn supporters vs. Fox supporters 
How Social Media Is Shaping Our Fears of — and Response to — the Coronavirus
MARCH 16, 2020
  • social media groups and comments sections are becoming ground zero for intense arguments over whether such measures are warranted.
  • “Classic overreaction,” wrote one Facebook user, remarking on a March 4 decision by Washington State’s Northshore School District to close their facilities for 14 days.
  • Facebook and Twitter, which didn’t exist or barely existed during past major outbreaks, are facilitating important conversations about the virus, while at the same time allowing sensationalism and misinformation to spread. 
  • The fine line between important discussions and sensationalism
  • for every expert trying to share accurate information or community leader organizing a grocery run, there are thousands of users spreading rumors, sensationalism, and other form
  • With contradictory information about COVID-19 emerging from the highest levels of government, disinformation experts say it’s more important than ever for those with accurate information to be sure they’re being heard. 
  • experts say social media is actually changing the way society is perceiving and responding to the COVID-19 outbreak. Humans take cues from other humans, and they may be more likely to panic-buy if they see other people posting about their panic-buying, says Santosh Vijaykumar, a health and risk communication researcher at Northumbria University. “We’re seeing a worrying trend where specific behaviors triggered by fear and anxiety — such as loading up on toilet rolls or hand sanitizers — get normalized and further diffused because they are constantly discussed on social media,” he writes over email. 
  • Can be bad because people see conspiracies and then believe them out of loyalty to certain unreliable news sources
MARCH 18, 2020
Americans Immersed in COVID-19 News; Most Think Media Are Doing Fairly Well Covering It
About half say they have seen at least some made-up news about the coronavirus; 29% think it was created in a lab
  • Americans give the news media fairly high marks for their coverage of COVID-19, though most think their reporting has at least somewhat exaggerated the risks.
  • . About half the public (48%) say they’ve been exposed to at least some made-up news and information related to the virus. And when asked two questions about the virus, substantial portions express belief in claims that are in fact false
  • Republicans are also roughly twice as likely as Democrats to think COVID-19 was created intentionally in a lab and more likely to say that the timing around a possible vaccine is within months – views that are out of sync with most health experts.
  • People were also asked when they think a vaccine for COVID-19 could be available. Roughly half (49%) answered that it would be a year or more, in line with what most public health experts have stated. But about two-in-ten believe a vaccine could be available within a few months, reflecting claims made by others, including some from President Trump. Very few think it is already available (3%) or that it would never be possible to create one (3%). About a quarter (23%) say they are not sure.
Panic culture psychology:
Moral panic-  feeling of fear spread among many people that some evil threatens the well being of society
  •  mass media have become important players in the dissemination of moral indignation, even when they do not appear to be consciously engaged in sensationalism or in muckraking.
^wikipedia, verified definition
Scott A. Bonn Ph.D.

  • Moral panics arise when distorted mass media campaigns are used to create fear, reinforce stereotypes and exacerbate pre-existing divisions in the world, often based on race, ethnicity and social class.
  • three distinguishing characteristics.  
    • First, there is a focused attention on the behavior, whether real or imagined, of certain individuals or groups that are transformed into what Cohen referred to as “folk devils” by the mass media. This is accomplished when the media strip these folk devils of all favorable characteristics and apply exclusively negative ones.
    • Second, there is a gap between the concern over a condition and the objective threat it poses. Typically, the objective threat is far less than popularly perceived due to how it is presented by authorities
    • Third, there is a great deal of fluctuation over time in the level of concern over a condition. The typical pattern begins with the discovery of the threat, followed by a rapid rise and then peak in public concern, which then subsequently, and often abruptly, subsides.
  • public hysteria over a perceived problem often results in the passing of legislation that is highly punitive, unnecessary, and serves to justify the agendas of those in positions of power and authority.
  • Moral panic is both a public and political response to an exaggeration or distortion of the threat posed to society by some allegedly harmful individual or group. More specifically, moral panic includes an exaggeration of certain events by enhancing the empirical criteria such as the number of individuals involved, the level and extent of violence, and the amount of damage caused.
  • All of these elements must be present in order for a situation to qualify as a moral panic. They are:   
    • (i) Concern (rather than fear) about the potential or imagined threat
    • (ii) Hostility-moral outrage toward the actors (folk devils) who embody the problem and agencies (naïve social workers, spin-doctored politicians) who are ‘ultimately’ responsible (and may become folk devils themselves)
    •  (iii) Consensus- a widespread agreement (not necessarily total) that the threat exists, is serious and that ‘something should be done.’  The majority of elite and influential groups, especially the mass media, should share this consensus
    •  (iv) Disproportionality- an exaggeration of the number or strength of the cases, in terms of the damage caused, moral offensiveness, potential risk if ignored.  Public concern is not directly proportionate to objective harm
    •  (v) Volatility- the panic erupts and dissipates suddenly and without warning.  
  • Manipulation and fear
  • While carona should be taken seriously the media in some places has overstepped its boundary and created fear li,e behavior which leads to doomsdayers who for example take all of the dang toilet paper

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