The Ebola virus is deadly for those who catch it; i.e., most of them die. But it’s transmitted by contact with bodily fluids, so it’s not very contagious and spreads slowly. You’re very much more likely to catch and die from the Flu. Unlike the Flu, Ebola isn’t transmitted through the air, but that doesn’t stop American fear-mongers from poisoning the political and media atmosphere with Ebola panic:
“‘Fear-bola’ hits epidemic proportions,” Mel Robbins, CNN
‘Ebola Is Bringing Out The Worst In Cable News,” Joaquim Moreira Salles, Think Progress
“PBS science reporter: Fox’s Ebola coverage is ‘a level of ignorance we should not allow,'” David Edwards, Raw Story
“CBS Medical Correspondent Shuts Down Fear-Mongering On The Transmission Of Ebola,” Media Matters
“You’re more likely to die of a shark attack or bee sting than contract Ebola in the US,” German Lopez, Vox
“Some Fear Ebola Outbreak Could Make Nation Turn to Science,” Andy Borowitz, The New Yorker
“Fear-Mongering Index: Responses to the Ebola Outbreak,” Arit John and John McCormick, Bloomberg Politics
“Don’t Panic: Why Pop Culture Wants You to Freak Out About Ebola and Pandemics,” Elisabeth Donnelly, Flavorwire
“Ebolaphobia,” Paul McFedries, Word Spy
“#FactsNotFear: Social media campaign directed at busting Ebola myths,” Amanda Harnocz, Cleveland.com
“Study: Fear of Ebola Highest Among People Who Did Not Pay Attention During Math and Science Classes,” Andy Borowitz, The New Yorker
“The politics of Ebola,” E.J. Dionne, Washington Post
“Why can’t vulnerable Democrats tell people to calm down about Ebola,” Paul Waldman, Washington Post
“Chicken Little Politics,” Ed Kilgore, Washington Monthly blog
“Ebolanoia,” David S. Seres, Pacific Standard
__________________
Short link: http://wp.me/p6sb6-k3L
Image ( “Der Schrei der Medien, after Edvard Munch”) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com
Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.
Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine
Tags: disease, Ebola, Fear-bola, fear-mongering, hysteria, media, panic, public health
NotionsCapital 
Leave a Reply