- By Alyssa Higginson
In our reading for this week called Villains, Victims and Heroes: Melodrama, Media, and September 11 there was an in depth discussion on the media coverage of September 11th. This made me instantly think about the current melodrama in the media surrounding the H1N1 vaccine recently. This current issue is sparking a lot of discussion and is important to forming a national identity for Canada as our health care system is an area of national pride for many Canadians. The reports concerning H1N1 in the media were extremely confusing for many Canadians as some were saying that it’s not safe, while others were urging people to get the vaccine. This contradiction left many people unsure of what to do. An assistant professor of communication at Simon Fraser University, Dr. Peter Chow-White said, Chow-White believes that fervent media coverage of the H1N1 vaccine program “has seeped into our daily lives to the point where the public has trouble distinguishing between what warrants justifiable panic and concern about protection.” http://www.sfu.ca/pamr/issues_experts/issues_and_experts/issues_11030901.html
An interesting article published in Abbotsford Today suggested that the media hype of H1N1 is scaring people to the point that they are getting sick. For more information on this please visit: http://www.abbotsfordtoday.ca/?p=24222
The H1N1 crisis will be talked about for many years to come and has been a prevalent story in the media recently. It is often difficult when complex issues are reported in the media as they can often overdramatize and exaggerate the issue. This can cause many to be left confused and upset.
Reports of September 11th formed an American national identity that was created out of victimization which later led to action for protection. Similarly, while the H1N1 vaccine issue is not as large a tragedy, there have been those that were described as victims of the H1N1 virus. The National Post printed an article after Evan Frustaglio, a thirteen year old boy, died of H1N1. The National Post said, “Evan’s sudden death is credited with putting a human face on H1N1 virus and prompting people to stand in long lines across the country for the vaccine. Clinics in Toronto opened the same day he died.”
Overall the media plays a very large role in any crisis, tragedy or situation as they are the main source of information for those that are at home. The media’s mass communication has a lot of power but also a great amount of responsibility to report the truth and the facts. This is something that can be learned from both of these media blitzes.
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