C19 - stop the sensationalist news coverage
Discussion
It appears that:
- C19 is very widespread in the UK. Prof Ferguson estimates c2m people have it/have had it. This is consistent with the very high reproduction rate
- C19 is not adding materially to the death rate in the UK, even amongst older groups
- Those dying "with" C19 would, for the most part, have died anyway now or in the near term
- For the vast majority of people C19 is asymptomatic/ mild flu like
- Society always trades health outcomes - including the extension of life - against other social goods: education, welfare, wealth creation and so on. Every day.
- The economic and social damage being done by destroying the economy will be unparalleled since WW2. It will reduce longevity also, and perversely quite possible cost more years of life than it saves
Yet only the fourth point is remotely well covered by the media, and even then, without the context of the first.
Anyone sick of being talked at by the BBC and politicians/ public officials who have far more job security than the rest of us?
- C19 is very widespread in the UK. Prof Ferguson estimates c2m people have it/have had it. This is consistent with the very high reproduction rate
- C19 is not adding materially to the death rate in the UK, even amongst older groups
- Those dying "with" C19 would, for the most part, have died anyway now or in the near term
- For the vast majority of people C19 is asymptomatic/ mild flu like
- Society always trades health outcomes - including the extension of life - against other social goods: education, welfare, wealth creation and so on. Every day.
- The economic and social damage being done by destroying the economy will be unparalleled since WW2. It will reduce longevity also, and perversely quite possible cost more years of life than it saves
Yet only the fourth point is remotely well covered by the media, and even then, without the context of the first.
Anyone sick of being talked at by the BBC and politicians/ public officials who have far more job security than the rest of us?
Edited by Ntv on Thursday 2nd April 12:49
I fully understand that by spreading out the time frame of people getting it, fewer people will die than if we all got it in a short space of time.
But it would be a lot cheaper if we all got it over a short space of time. And the expensive option we've adopted will result in years of financial hardship and austerity, which .....costs lives!!!
But it would be a lot cheaper if we all got it over a short space of time. And the expensive option we've adopted will result in years of financial hardship and austerity, which .....costs lives!!!
I would agree that the press are following the mantra that only bad news sells.
Plenty of column inches on the unfortunate 13yo who died with no known underlying health issues, but not one word on the many old folks, like a lady relative or two of posters on here, who despite age and in one case underlying health issues have beat it. Not a word.
For item 4 on your list, you may want to (top lurking BtW) get over here:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Plenty of column inches on the unfortunate 13yo who died with no known underlying health issues, but not one word on the many old folks, like a lady relative or two of posters on here, who despite age and in one case underlying health issues have beat it. Not a word.
For item 4 on your list, you may want to (top lurking BtW) get over here:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
sealtt said:
From what I can see a lot of your points depend on this statement being true - and as of right now one cannot be certain that it is.
You are right we can't be certain, but it seems all the epidemiologists and the available anecdotal and survey evidence points strongly in this direction. There is a lot we don't "know" right now and one has to sometimes act on the best available evidence.
The very high reproduction rate of C19 is a fact. As is that is has been in the UK for quite some time circulating well before any lockdown / social distancing measures.
Ntv said:
It appears that:
- C19 is very widespread in the UK. Prof Ferguson estimates c2m people have it/have had it. This is consistent with the very high reproduction rate
- C19 is not adding materially to the death rate in the UK, even amongst older groups
- Those dying "with" C19 would, for the most part, have died anyway now or in the near term
- For the vast majority of people C19 is asymptomatic/ mild flu like
- Society always trades health outcomes - including the extension of life - against other social goods: education, welfare, wealth creation and so on. Every day.
- The economic and social damage being done by destroying the economy will be unparalleled since WW2. It will reduce longevity also, and perversely quite possible cost more years of life than it saves
Yet only the fourth point is remotely well covered by the media, and even then, without the context of the first.
Anyone sick of being talked at by the BBC and politicians/ public officials who have far more job security than the rest of us?
Stop watching the news then, after eagerly watching it in the first stages of this ‘lockdown’ I decided to try avoid it.- C19 is very widespread in the UK. Prof Ferguson estimates c2m people have it/have had it. This is consistent with the very high reproduction rate
- C19 is not adding materially to the death rate in the UK, even amongst older groups
- Those dying "with" C19 would, for the most part, have died anyway now or in the near term
- For the vast majority of people C19 is asymptomatic/ mild flu like
- Society always trades health outcomes - including the extension of life - against other social goods: education, welfare, wealth creation and so on. Every day.
- The economic and social damage being done by destroying the economy will be unparalleled since WW2. It will reduce longevity also, and perversely quite possible cost more years of life than it saves
Yet only the fourth point is remotely well covered by the media, and even then, without the context of the first.
Anyone sick of being talked at by the BBC and politicians/ public officials who have far more job security than the rest of us?
Edited by Ntv on Thursday 2nd April 12:49
Jonesy23 said:
Prof Ferguson has a well earned reputation for being full of s
t. Reviews of his work on foot & mouth were damning.
Indeed. Though all the available evidence so far points to C19 being very widespread. And order of magnitude wider than any country has been able to test. At a local level here in London me and some others have put together some surveys of local streets and are coming back with 15% of households have had / have C19. Yes, appreciate all the caveats, but it's increasingly looking like millions of people have this / have had in the UK. t. Reviews of his work on foot & mouth were damning. Re the point about not watching the news. We all pay for the BBC, and have a right to better than this crap. Also, the news agency clearly has an influence on Govt., policy, in which we all have a huge interest.
Ntv said:
Indeed. Though all the available evidence so far points to C19 being very widespread. And order of magnitude wider than any country has been able to test. At a local level here in London me and some others have put together some surveys of local streets and are coming back with 15% of households have had / have C19. Yes, appreciate all the caveats, but it's increasingly looking like millions of people have this / have had in the UK.
Re the point about not watching the news. We all pay for the BBC, and have a right to better than this crap. Also, the news agency clearly has an influence on Govt., policy, in which we all have a huge interest.
Only the BBC? You have a channel change/off button.Re the point about not watching the news. We all pay for the BBC, and have a right to better than this crap. Also, the news agency clearly has an influence on Govt., policy, in which we all have a huge interest.
I have found the BBC middle of the road, they raise questions that have needed to be raised when the politicos stand up with edicts and info spend too long pontificating, the experts need centre stage not what Gove wants us to hear. The are gaps from No10, they are still fighting the election. Someone needs to tell them they won. You could have Press TV, now there is a sterling nodding dog of an organisation, perhaps RT TV, never report what your master don't like or Fox news, so far up the presidents behind they are looking out his nostrils.
Interestingly the attacks on the media are ramping up today, beeb getting a lot of flack. Cummings getting the job done I suppose.
Eric Mc said:
You single out the BBC (as everybody tends to). The most sensationalist stuff is coming from the print media. And I haven't noticed a huge difference in the coverage on ITV or Channel 4 with that of the BBC.
I am well aware there are things going on behind the scenes on decriminalisation. I won't say it's driving their editorial policy, but it would be silly to think it's irrelevant. Sophisticated Sarah said:
This morning there was a woman found dead by paramedics near a hospital that my friend works at. Immediately the local news was reporting “Covid19”, “struggled to the hospital by herself”... turns out she was leaving the hospital in the early hours and was hit by a Range Rover 
Unfortunately the Government, in an effort to generate public support for house arrest, has encouraged the media into this sort of "coverage" It is now a big part of the problem in trying to back out of the mess we're in.
I am finding a lot of the headlines getting put on now by various media outlets very sensationalist without any in depth analysis or research into anything, I don't know if they are just all competing with each other to get stories out first maybe or there is more to it but I think the public are going to quickly tire of it.
I feel today alone there is now an undercurrent turning against the government in particular over the lack of any plan for testing and the same soundbites peddled out from the government are starting to become tired.
I feel today alone there is now an undercurrent turning against the government in particular over the lack of any plan for testing and the same soundbites peddled out from the government are starting to become tired.
Ntv said:
Eric Mc said:
You single out the BBC (as everybody tends to). The most sensationalist stuff is coming from the print media. And I haven't noticed a huge difference in the coverage on ITV or Channel 4 with that of the BBC.
I am well aware there are things going on behind the scenes on decriminalisation. I won't say it's driving their editorial policy, but it would be silly to think it's irrelevant. Gassing Station | News, Politics & Economics | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff