The media is spreading fear

[Hapworth]

My experience of most gun world folks is that they know about as much about news media and how it works as most news media folks know about gun world and how it works.

 

[transit]

While I agree that the BBC got their reporting wrong, it does raise some points to consider.

1) The ramp up in burials was a result of the city morgues and undertakers clearing the decks to deal with COVID-19 deaths. For sure, no COVID-19 fatalities had been buried there as of the date of the linked article, 9 April. Remind me again why this is good news.

2) I find it interesting that the Hart Island drone footage was shown first (AFAIK) on the Spanish language channels here in the US and on the BBC news website. Was it on ABC. CBS etc? I don't know, because I rarely watch them. But if it wasn't, what the agenda there? Maybe to avoid panicking the population? Were they told not to by newscontrol.gov?

Morgues aren't backed up over numbers per se. Hospital morgues tend to be very small anyway.

The hold-up was uncertainty regarding if the remains need any special handling by funeral homes (as haz-mat) and uncertainty among families as to how to handle arrangements if traditional wakes were not necessarily being permitted. That left bodies which would have been removed and handled in the ordinary fashion facing delays.

And yes, the potter's field stories ran on standard media here.

They created the distorted perception intended. I know because my mom believed there were mass COVID graves out there, and she's not a nervous-nelly.

 

[Ματθιας]

I will own, in its entirety, my post. It is seen through my filter, my analysis of the facts and my risk.

It's my opinion, that your apples and oranges comparison examples are just that. Your examples. Heart attacks and car fatalities never scared me. Still don't.

Of all the things I am, ignorant is certainly not one of them.

To live my life now, as you suggest, would hasten my demise.

Ignore the facts at your own peril.

If this approach gives you comfort, during this pandemic, so be it. Find comfort wherever you can.

Ask the people of Italy if this is media generated hysteria, or a political agenda driven narrative.

What part of 800+ deaths per day in New York City do you not understand?

I have lived my years, for the most part, without fear.
Being aware, and prepared to respond, has served me well.

Critical reasoning is the most valuable of life skills in my opinion. Even though I usually believe none of what I hear, and half of what I see, my situational awareness these days is way off the charts.

There is more than enough reason to track the COVID-19 death statistics, and for me, to act accordingly.

Your results may vary...

Given that the flu has killed 12k - 61k people with tens of millions infected, EVERY YEAR, do you track flu death stats?

Disease Burden of Influenza | CDC

Using critical reasoning, it would seem that the flu is a bigger on going threat.

 

[transit]

I will own, in its entirety, my post. It is seen through my filter, my analysis of the facts and my risk.

It's my opinion, that your apples and oranges comparison examples are just that. Your examples. Heart attacks and car fatalities never scared me. Still don't.

Of all the things I am, ignorant is certainly not one of them.

To live my life now, as you suggest, would hasten my demise.

Ignore the facts at your own peril.

If this approach gives you comfort, during this pandemic, so be it. Find comfort wherever you can.

Ask the people of Italy if this is media generated hysteria, or a political agenda driven narrative.

What part of 800+ deaths per day in New York City do you not understand?

I have lived my years, for the most part, without fear.
Being aware, and prepared to respond, has served me well.

Critical reasoning is the most valuable of life skills in my opinion. Even though I usually believe none of what I hear, and half of what I see, my situational awareness these days is way off the charts.

There is more than enough reason to track the COVID-19 death statistics, and for me, to act accordingly.

Your results may vary...

We never had 800 deaths per day in NYC.

COVID-19: Data - NYC Health

I'm loathe to say that we "barely" broke half that, because it's a lot of people, but that's the fact.

Further, even that number is suspect. If I tested positive, and sat home asymptomatic, as many (or most) do, and then I had a heart attack because I eat too much fried food, my death would be recorded as COVID-19. That's how it's done.

And, having seen the videos of Italian elected officials encouraging people to hug Chinese visitors, so as not to appear racist, yes I do believe there was a politically-driven agenda at work there. It just got more than it bargained for.

All that said, making your own call about your risk, and acting accordingly? Who could criticize that?

 

[pennzy]

Given that the flu has killed 12k - 61k people with tens of millions infected, EVERY YEAR, do you track flu death stats?

Disease Burden of Influenza | CDC

Using critical reasoning, it would seem that the flu is a bigger on going threat.

Covid:
There is no vaccine.
There is no herd immunity
Completely new
Way more deadly
Way more easily spread
The death totals are low due to social distancing
The death toll is still unknown
The flu:
The flu has been around for 2000 years
There is herd immunity
There is a vaccine
Less easily spread
Less deadly

Normally I would say "Go for it" but in this case you would be hurting your community and family.

 

[Ματθιας]

My experience of most gun world folks is that they know about as much about news media and how it works as most news media folks know about gun world and how it works.

"If it bleeds it leads", and lets sell some advertising along with the media coverage of politics for the last 30 years tells me all I need to know about the news media. That and having a family member working at one of the local news outlets.

 

[Ματθιας]

Covid:
There is no vaccine.
There is no herd immunity
Completely new
Way more deadly
Way more easily spread
The death totals are low due to social distancing
The death toll is still unknown
The flu:
The flu has been around for 2000 years
There has herd immunity
There is a vaccine
Less easily spread
Less deadly

Normally I would say "Go for it" but in this case you would be hurting your community and family.

And...? The flu STILL infects and kills FAR FAR FAR more people. Let's be clear, are you disputing that fact?

BTW, I'm taking the same precautions that I've taken during each and every flu season (I don't get flu shots) and pandemic.

 

[transit]

Wow, just wow. If there is this much mud being slung against the handling of this crisis under a conservative administration, I just can't imagine if it happened under the last.

This one I can't address because of the rules.

I don't think any intellectually honest person will have difficulty imagining how it would be different, if we're talking about coverage.

We have the press' behavior to compare.

 

[pennzy]

And...? The flu STILL infects and kills FAR FAR FAR more people. Let's be clear, are you disputing that fact?

BTW, I'm taking the same precautions that I've taken during each and every flu season (I don't get flu shots) and pandemic.

It is not over yet so the total is not known yet. The total will be a reflection of the extreme measures taken to combat it. The normal death toll per day in NYC is about 150 including flu deaths. It is around 800 per day now last I heard.

 

[transit]

It is not over yet so the total is not known yet. The total will be a reflection of the extreme measures taken to combat it. The normal death toll per day in NYC is about 150 including flu deaths. It is around 800 per day last I heard.

Those numbers are not even close. Flu deaths during the season run more than 150 per day. There are a lot of elderly people in this town! There are eight million people in this town. Lots of people die every day.

And as I said above, we never came near 800 COVID deaths a day. That's an oft repeated false number, according to the NYC Department of Health.

 

[ladder13]

It is not over yet so the total is not known yet. The total will be a reflection of the extreme measures taken to combat it. The normal death toll per day in NYC is about 150 including flu deaths. It is around 800 per day now last I heard.

NYC is not NYS. I know everyone gets confused sometimes.

 

[pennzy]

I said 150 a day total . That includes flu deaths and all other deaths. Here is the result of a quick google
On a normal day, 145 people die in New York City. Last week, coronavirus alone killed over 200 per day
I am not sure if it is correct or not but I have heard that number before.

 

[wheelgun28]

It is sad when you cannot believe the media. Its agenda-driven, and mostly false information. They take a sound bite and make a story out of it with no research or fact-finding. Then they keep quoting each other like its a fact.

Examples from the last few years

Hillary in a landslide, no reporters really looked into things just parroted incorrect info.

Stormy, need I say more...

Russia, a conspiracy deeply rooted in our government that should alarm every American.

Ukraine, made-up nonsense yet parts of our government bought and paid for by outsiders. See an in-depth look at things, nope just a whitewash and finger-pointing. Your told don't look behind the curtain, ignore that man.

So a virus takes root in China, again. Some parts of our government actually do things, like stop people from coming into the country and get criticized for it. Certain governmental leaders tell us you cannot catch this virus and we should see a movie or go downtown. Now after all that they have the gall to say the leadership wasn't doing enough. Do you see any of this in the so-called news, nope.

Now its mass graves, medicine that has helped people is bad and government officials are profiting and really who knows what else.
Yet the only real info is the daily briefing and yet the media doesn't want you to see that. They need to filter it with spin first and turn it into more fake news.

It is just sad people can't get or see the truth and not the USA Pravda version.

 

[pennzy]

NYC is not NYS. I know everyone gets confused sometimes.

I don't follow you.

 

[Kanewpadle]

Much like the internet, one would be foolish to believe everything the media has to say.

However people are dying all over the world. So why wouldn't you pay attention?

In an interview this morning a military research doctor specializing in viruses said the flu can infect two people. But the corona virus can infect four people. He also said that there is so much that is not known about the virus that the only sure way to beat it is a vaccine.

Ive paid more attention to the news than I ever have. We discuss it every morning at work. Quite often what we heard or read is contradictory.

Unfortunately in their race to be first, news outlets often get it wrong.

 

[pennzy]

Its the death toll now per day minus the normal death toll per day unless some other factor can be responsible for the daily increase. The world wide death total is significant and that is with lock downs in place.

 

[wheelgun28]

Its the death toll now per day minus the normal death toll per day unless some other factor can be responsible for the daily increase. The world wide death total is significant and that is with lock downs in place.

Yes and were now told that almost anyone that unfortunately dies it is marked down as COVID, no matter what other issues are present.

So who knows the real numbers...

 

[transit]

I said 150 a day total . That includes flu deaths and all other deaths. Here is the result of a quick google
On a normal day, 145 people die in New York City. Last week, coronavirus alone killed over 200 per day
I am not sure if it is correct or not but I have heard that number before.

I see where it says that, so I can't fault you.

New York City Leading Causes of Death | NYC Open Data


This one happens to list 2014, but just take a glance at the numbers. There are almost 1100 lines of data. You won't have to go through them, just take a glance, and you'll see that they'll necessarily climb well above 150 per.

They announced here on the news that, "One person an hour was dying of COVID-19 in NYC." and I thought, "Wow."

Then I looked it up and found out that, during the season, ten people an hour die here of influenza.

And I thought, "Wow."

I also saw a DailyMail site that said "800+ people die of COVID every day in NYC." So, again, I can't fault anyone for saying that.

But, that's not what NYC says.

And I am forced to wonder why UK sources seem motivated to induce panic.

 

[UncleEd]

Well, even Fox news, a stalwart of more
politically conservative news, is being
attacked as alarmist.

Thankfully, this forum continues to be
a refuge of more positive attitudes.

Flu, Covid 19, plain vanilla ice cream,
Asian vanilla chip ice cream. It's all
vanilla, correct?

 

[Ματθιας]

Here's my example of how the local media where I live is stoking the fears:

Climate control trailers now in Albuquerque in case of 'surge in fatalities'

Climate control trailers now in Albuquerque in case of 'surge in fatalities' | KOB 4

On the news cast, in the intro to the story, the first words out of the reporter's mouth, "Talk about a kick in the gut..." Why would he say that? Just report the story.

New Mexico has 1,174 cases out of 28,692 tests and 20 deaths.

That and "they" keep moving the peak numbers and deaths two weeks out as every two weeks pass.