db week2

Chapter 14 Links and Info 

This year, we’ve witnessed an unprecedented outbreak of the Ebola virus in West Africa. In September, the virus was detected in a patient in Dallas, TX and subsequently spread to two of that patient’s hospital caretakers. Admittedly, there were some major failings in how the specific hospital, the CDC and the U.S. government handled the case—and some very good lessons for journalists to run with in their reporting of this issue. But instead, the major news networks turned to fear mongering around the virus. This clip shows coverage from major network, CNN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNjvGls3gSA This video clip from The Daily Show pokes fun at the major network coverage: http://thedailyshow.cc.com/videos/kgr74h/au-bon-panic This satirical article also mocks the news misrepresentation of the issue: http://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/man-infected-ebola-misinformation- casual-contact-cable-news Questions 1. Are these news sources representing all sides of the story? Why would they choose to

focus on a specific angle? 2. What is the emotional difference between the satirical reporting versus the “news”

reporting? 3. Considering the social responsibility of journalists, does this type of reporting hurt

democratic discourse? What sort of effects could it cause?