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Without doubt the biggest story of the moment is the coronavirus — and it’s set to be the major global challenge and therefore, media focus of the year.
There’s a hell of a balancing act to be played out here, alerting the community but not causing unnecessary alarm.
So, how are we going?
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Sam Armytage, Sunrise: “The death toll has risen above 3,100 — let’s go live to our team of reporters; first to Sam Brett at Ryde Hospital in Sydney. Sam, the new economic modelling of the impact of the virus paints a fairly bleak picture.
Sam Brett, reporter: “It certainly does Sam, good morning. These are frightening statistics ... of course, only predictions at this stage but this does come from a leading economist. Former RBA board member Warwick McKibbin has come out and said that if there is a mild pandemic, he is predicting 21,000 Australians will die this year. If it gets more serious, 53,000 deaths and in the worst-case scenario, 96,000 people could die, 68 million people worldwide. Now these numbers just keep on rising...”
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Now that sounds alarming enough, doesn’t it? But as we’ve seen whatever the media, experts and politicians have been saying there has been an inexplicable rush on toilet paper that has generated a media cycle all of its own.
Alan DuPont’s article in the Weekend Australian was headed “Nowhere to hide from the spread of panic”.
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Alan DuPont: “The biggest behavioural challenge for government and business will be dealing with the fear pandemics inspire. For all our supposed rationality and access to unprecedented levels of information and knowledge, fear of disease is still deeply embedded in the human psyche. This frequently results in irrational or selfish behaviour that can worsen the social and economic impact, as Australians found out this week when panicked buyers stripped supermarket shelves of toilet paper, sanitisers, disinfectant and food.”
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The ABC also noted that: “Our fear of coronavirus could be far more contagious than the disease itself”.
They quoted Cardiff University professor Karin Wahl-Jorgensen, who noted the “coronavirus is playing out through the lens of a ‘hybrid media system’, where traditional mainstream media and social media collide. It means ‘misinformation and alarmist material’ — like a decade-old map showing global air travel purporting to illustrate the spread of coronavirus (that) has circulated through mainstream outlets untested.”
There’s no doubt that the communication age means the awareness is more contagious than the virus. This should be a good thing … but is it? Depends on the particular reports and on your own perspective.
Here’s some of 60 Minutes from Sunday night.
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Liam Bartlett, 60 Minutes: “Professor Gabriel Leung believes 60 per cent of the world’s population could become infected with the virus, and that as many as 45 million of us might be killed by it. A world where people only venture out in masks. Where almost all public places are deserted for fear of infection. Where businesses are deserted and economic markets are in panic. And this may only be the start.”
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Okay, that’s pretty alarming stuff — those are high estimates, especially when we know most people’s infection will be dealt with reasonably easily, but still, we do need the facts and estimates vary on various scenarios.
And 60 Minutes also did the hard yards in showing us the animal markets and practices that have been shown time and again to be the critical points where deadly viruses transfer from wildlife to humans.
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Liam Bartlett, 60 Minutes: “Then, deep within the market, a single shop that should rightly terrify a world reeling from coronavirus. An African serval cat, a fennec fox from the Sahara, and marmosets from South America. This is just incredible, you know, African cats, snakes, you’ve got monkeys, primates in the same confined space. Has no one told these people that this is where the other viruses came from?”
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As for the other crucial factors back home, here’s how 60 minutes summarises them.
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Liam Bartlett, 60 Minutes: “Whether you live or die depends on two things — how Australia’s health authorities and hospitals cope with this pandemic, but mainly, how old you are.”
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Dramatic, but true of course. Tone is a matter of taste in many respects, but maybe sometimes the story is serious enough that it doesn’t really need the scary sound effects.
In Perth, The Weekend West’s front page proclaimed in bold letters “You will get virus”.
Quoting the state’s chief health officer, the newspaper said people should expect a “hit rate” of about 25 per cent.
So how does a one in four chance of contracting the disease equate to “You will get virus”?
And this from the Sunday Telegraph: “Army joins virus war”.
War?
Then there’s the case of the Melbourne doctor we all heard about on the weekend.
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7 News newsreader: “Good evening, a Toorak doctor who’s tested positive to coronavirus is under fire tonight for continuing to see patients after he became ill.”
7 News reporter: “A trusted a respected GP, Chris Higgins was a ticking time bomb. The father of singer Missy Higgins has potentially spread the deadly coronavirus to more than 70 patients.”
Victorian health minister Jenny Mikakos: “I have to say I am absolutely flabbergasted that a doctor who has experienced flu-like symptoms has presented to work...”
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A ticking time bomb? Really? Dr Higgins returned from the US, not a high risk area, 11 days ago. He’s hit back at the health minister.
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9 News reporter: “...Dr Higgins also breaking his silence, slamming (health minister) Jenny Mikakos for reporting inaccuracies, and unfairness, after his mild cold had almost resolved. Posting on Facebook, ‘I hesitated to do a swab because I did not fulfil your criteria for testing but did one anyway. I believe you’ve taken a cheap opportunity for political grandstanding and would appreciate an apology.”
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I don’t think he’s got that apology yet.
Last Monday, 9 News in Queensland wasn’t exactly encouraging calm.
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9 News reporter: “Queensland virologist Ian Mackay has suggested we can all start packing a pandemic stash box, with up to two weeks’ supply containing extra prescription medications, asthma relief inhalers, as well as over the counter anti-fever and pain medications, hand sanitisers and cleaning products such as bleach, toilet paper, tissues, disposable nappies and pet food, plus tinned fish, vegetables and fruit, as well as batteries.”
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Sounds like the zombie apocalypse. News.com.au aimed for the sensible centre
“What items you need to stock up on to prepare for the coronavirus,” was the headline but it stressed panic buying was counter-productive. Victorian Chief Health Officer, Dr Brett Sutton, advised readers on how to prepare if they needed to self-quarantine, with no need to stockpile now, “but it does require you to think about it, make some plans and understand what your needs are”.
The ABC provided feedback on “What steps Australians have taken to stock up in case things get worse.”
One respondent put aside two months’ worth of medicines, another stockpiled a month’s food for their dog, and Sheryl said it wasn’t necessary to change her life at all and that she thinks stories like these frighten people and don’t do anything positive or helpful. “Scaremongering achieves nothing,” she said.
Perhaps they should have run a story by Sheryl instead.
Still, the ABC’s Dr Norman Swan calmly tackled some misinformation.
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Dr Norman Swan on the ABC’s 7:30: “Masks are pointless. Your chances of walking past a person with the illness or being on the same train or bus as them are not much higher than winning the lottery. So by wearing masks, you’re unnecessarily using a resource that’s needed for health workers who’ll be directly exposed to infected patients, and needed for people with the illness to cut the chances of them spreading it.”
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Sensible advice. But for the “keep calm and carry on” award, the Northern Territory News outdid itself yet again. Here’s Editor Matt Williams on 6PR Breakfast:
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Matt Williams, NT News Editor: “In the spirit of this toilet paper crisis, what we though we could do for the people of the Northern Territory is print an eight-page liftout in today’s paper, and all it is is blank pages with cut-out lines and people can use it as toilet paper.”
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Yep, you are still allowed to have a laugh. I can’t wait for the crocodile/coronavirus crossover story.
But why are we seeing fights over toilet paper? Why the loss of Australian stoicism and our famed she’ll be right attitude. Perhaps it’s less to do with dramatic reporting from mainstream media, where there’s plenty of information available to provide context ... perhaps the ridiculous overreactions are because so many people aren’t consuming mainstream media news. Perhaps they’re getting their news from social media, picking up on daily tripe and homegrown theories from Twitter and the like.
This is the real challenge for authorities — how to communicate widely. If people are informed by Twitter, we shouldn’t be surprised if they react with all the idiocy of Twitter.
Hail a new shepherd and father for the church
Religious leaders such as Leo XIV transcend the usual left-right binaries. Indeed the relatively quick decision of the cardinals suggests the talk of entrenched positions was rather overblown.
Tech elites are dumbing down the ‘smart’ house – why you should too
Nobody wants their house to eavesdrop or be stuck on the phone to tech support at midnight when the lights won’t turn on.
This is an edited extract from Chris Kenny’s Kenny on Media, every Monday night on Sky News Australia at 8pm. You can also catch Chris as he hosts The Kenny Report from 5pm every Monday to Friday.