alphabetatangoOct 14

What Americans die from vs. what the news reports on

https://ourworldindata.org/does-the-news-reflect-what-we-die-from

Does the news reflect what we die from?

What do Americans die from, and what do the New York Times, Washington Post, and Fox News report on?

Our World in Data
Show threadtptacek
The dubious unstated premise of this piece is that, "newsworthiness" notwithstanding, all causes of death are equally impactful on society. But that's not true. Violent crime and terrorism are destabilizing in ways heart disease and cancer are not. Independent of the prurient interests of the news audience, there can be strong arguments for giving outsized coverage to homicide.
Oct 14 at 8:15pmWeb
Show threadwizzwizz4Oct 14
To ensure they're destabilising?
Show threadtptacekOct 14
I mean, maybe? To engage seriously with the argument, you'd have to account for iatrogenic effects of media intervention. That's an established concern, first with suicidality and increasingly with mass shooters. But you'd also have to consider that poorly covering events that are certain to percolate through the public consciousness might do worse things than covering them accurately. It's a tough question!