Stop sensationalism

With the 24/7 news cycle, the expansion of the news media and social media, the competition for an audience is fierce. The public media has combated the problem by sensationalizing everything they can. This has left their audience with the problem of knowing what to do something about and what is just hype. For instance, recently a “news” item suggested relations with Russia had deteriorated to the point where we were at the brink of war with them. So, was that a “keep watching for more details” teaser or is there something here to worry about? Probably the former this time, but what about next time? How will we know when it is really time to brush the cobwebs out of our bomb shelter, renew our fresh water supply and lay in food? Is the media really serving the audience well with their sensationalizing?

Fred Mumma, Lusby