My problem with 24/7 media

In my experience, the national attention span has drastically decreased since the emergence of the 24/7 news coverage. Yes, information is power and transparency in government is important, but there has to be a limit somewhere. All of the news outlets are trying to break the story first, before their competitors, before the bloggers, before the tweeters, but that means they may not have full information. Then one person reads that story or hears it on the radio and it virally spreads. 

The most recent example is the swine flu, oh I mean the H1N1 influenza A virus, which has panicked not only the nation, but the world. Yes it is a threat, yes it can be dangerous, after all the normal strain of the flu which hits each winter kills about 40,000 people. I'm not in any way trying to downplay the nature of the beast (sorry bad pun), but people need to take precautions and use common sense. Wash your hands, use antibacterial soap, wipe down your desk at work, etc. It just frustrates me that there is a level of hysteria over this. You can't turn on the TV or read the paper without seeing a NEW UPDATE on this.

This is coming across as crass and uncaring and I'm not trying to do that. I find it annoying how the news outlets get ahold of things like this and repeat the same information because there is nothing new to report. There are bigger issues facing the state, the nation, and the world that are being swept under the rug. For example, the ILGA is in session and there are important bills sitting in the Rules Committee that could help get the state out of the current financial mess. Yet those stories get only passing mention.

Maybe choosing the flu was a bad example. Maybe the economy would have been a better one...we are currently in a precarious financial situation and I don't think the media is helping. We all know we're broke, we don't need constant reminders by talking heads. Turning on the nightly news and getting reminders of how bad off the country is will not encourage consumer spending and decreases consumer confidence, therefore causing the markets to drop even further. 

I'll get off my soapbox now. I knew there was a reason I don't watch the nightly news...it just makes me angry.