Does the news reflect what we die from?

[Skip]

Does the news reflect what we die from?

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

Some epic analysis on how hard media has pushed certain narratives.

https://ourworldindata.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Causes-of-death-in-USA-vs.-media-coverage-716x550.png


Assuming suicide can be gun related, and terrorism is occasionally gun related, the gun related categories are inflated as...

Actual 2.7%
Google searches 22.8%
Overall media 70.6%


Media has attempted to inflate gun related deaths ~26x. They have succeeded in getting a 10x inflation judging by Google searches although I'm not sure how much of this is people searching to counter these narratives (could be a flaw in this analysis).

Here is how the source illustrates that inflation...

https://ourworldindata.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Over-and-underrepresentation-of-deaths-in-media-711x550.png


Something else troubling... Media is vastly under-reporting lifestyle-related (individual choices) deaths. Look at what they've done to heart disease, drug overdose, and diabetes.

[Irving]

Of course not.

[Bailey Guns]

Interesting...I've long suspected this but never seen it put together like this.

Of course, everything the media says is generally inaccurate or false or intentionally misleading anyway to further a leftist agenda.

[BushMasterBoy]

Disease is so boring compared to mass shootings. No drama in that. And disease will kill most of us.

[FoxtArt]

The media has always reported topics of interest. There's never been a day in our history that the page one headline is "Bob suffers heart attack in his home at age 87!". So while the statistics may be true, the correlation is not and the presumption that it's a recent trend is also likely gross exaggerated at best.

ETA: in the 1920s and 1930s for instance, do you think the media was more enthralled in reporting on organized crime and bank heists, or detailed and selective reporting every time "random" individuals literally starved during the great depression, which was inordinately far more common?

People don't care about "people". They want drama.

[Skip]

Disease is so boring compared to mass shootings. No drama in that. And disease will kill most of us.

Absolutely but journalism has transformed into media which believes, and has no ethical issues with, advancing policies and politicians.

They are no longer just story tellers but overt advocates. Yes, this changed with Rathergate, they previously had to hide this.

So it?s completely reckless to advance a policy that will save little lives (or negative savings when we look critically at gun control) instead of policies that could save millions of lives.

[bczandm]

The numbers shown are good numbers and displayed well. Over 600,000 people die from heart disease in the US each year. I know because I was a few hours away from being a statistic. It's the #1 cause of death in the US. The number one self inflicted cause of death is poisoning if you lump drugs and alcohol deaths together, about 150,000 per year and growing at a rapid rate.

The press has it so wrong.

[JohnnyDrama]

People don't care about "people". They want drama.

The idea that the press reports the "facts" has been mistaken since Ben Franklin started his newspaper. Facts are boring and leave little to the imagination. What the press has "reported" has always been a form of infotainment. Ted Turner just codified it when he launched CNN.

BTW - Those are interesting graphs.

[Skip]

The idea that the press reports the "facts" has been mistaken since Ben Franklin started his newspaper. Facts are boring and leave little to the imagination. What the press has "reported" has always been a form of infotainment. Ted Turner just codified it when he launched CNN.

BTW - Those are interesting graphs.

I'm personally fine with a little editorializing and massaging to gain attention/readership. I think that's expected.

Historically, writers also had to "write down" to the people because they often had a level of education/intellectual capacity that the average folk just didn't have. That tends to water down the message as well.

But what we have here is dedication to an alternate reality. It's no wonder people who trust and consume MSM have a completely different view of the country/world.



The numbers shown are good numbers and displayed well. Over 600,000 people die from heart disease in the US each year. I know because I was a few hours away from being a statistic. It's the #1 cause of death in the US. The number one self inflicted cause of death is poisoning if you lump drugs and alcohol deaths together, about 150,000 per year and growing at a rapid rate.

The press has it so wrong.

I'm glad you made it!!!

And the attention shift from the top killers discounts the risk. We've all had friends/family who passed entirely too young.

[eddiememphis]

"media" is simply a way to sell advertising.

The more eyes or ears, the higher the rates.

GUNS! WAR! SEX!

Did you click yet?

[Gman]

The media is much more focused on 'what could have happened' and how it was 'almost a tragedy' than they are with reporting what actually happened. Apparently it has more emotional impact if they explain how it could have been much worse than it really was.

[Skip]

Not just misdirection, but never ending contradiction...

Coffee will Kill You, Until it Won’t, and Other Fake Health News

https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2019/06/coffee_will_kill_you_until_it_wont_and_other_fake_ health_news.html

The message on guns is consistent only because of political belief. How do I know? Look at non-political killers...


In 1981, the New York Times reported a study from the Harvard School of Public Health finding, “a statistical link between the drinking of coffee and cancer of the pancreas.” In 2014, Inc told us “19 horrible things that can happen” from drinking too much coffee.

Flash forward to today, when a British Heart Foundation study discovered, “up to 25 cups of coffee a day still safe for heart health.” Quite the turnaround. Johns Hopkins Medicine reports other benefits of coffee, reducing the risk of Type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, colon cancer, heart failure, and stroke.

[snip]

The government Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion concurs, “If alcohol is consumed, it should be in moderation -- up to one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for men.” The American Heart Association agrees, “If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation.” So does the American Cancer Society which, “recommends that people who drink alcohol limit their intake to no more than 2 drinks per day for men and 1 drink a day for women.” Settled right?

But perhaps alcohol is not so safe after all. Recent research published in the Lancet “concludes there’s no amount of alcohol consumption that’s safe for overall health.” From moderate drinking to no drinking at all.

Then there is walking, with steps now easily tracked via smart watches and fitness monitors. 10,000 steps was the holy grail, as Weight Watchers described benefits beyond simply weight control, such as heart health, blood sugar stabilization, brain power, and reduced body fat.

Perhaps less is more, as the Atlantic reported new studies finding reduced mortality in walking women, but the benefits maxing out at 7500 steps per day. More walking means more wear and tear on the joints and a higher risk of falls, both prevalent in the older population.

[CS1983]

I think we can all agree that the key is to simply drink more Ovaltine.

[Justin]

A crummy commercial?

Son of a b*tch.

[Gman]

Was listening to Limbaugh last week and he was talking about this BS health stuff. Steps have diminishing returns at 7500 and 5000 is probably good enough. Coconut oil was bad for you, until it wasn't. The same controlling types on the left come up with this crap.

I don't buy into it. I'm not going to add to my stress level with this made up crap. I choose to enjoy my life and not worry about it.

[Skip]

I think we can all agree that the key is to simply drink more Ovaltine.

With vodka and Kahlua? Sure!


Was listening to Limbaugh last week and he was talking about this BS health stuff. Steps have diminishing returns at 7500 and 5000 is probably good enough. Coconut oil was bad for you, until it wasn't. The same controlling types on the left come up with this crap.

I don't buy into it. I'm not going to add to my stress level with this made up crap. I choose to enjoy my life and not worry about it.



The steps thing is complete horseshit. It's a goal set to engage the lowest common denominator of person who isn't active. Calories in/calories out is what matters and the macro composition of those cals in matters a lot.

My new Fitbit (Charge 3) is 100% focused on this abstract goal even though I have set a calorie goal as my primary. It's stupid. If I run five miles in the AM, I am hitting the 10K step goal by the end of the day, I don't need a carrot. I need to hit my calorie goal! The Charge 2 wasn't like this. It could be set to reflect your primary goal.

Carbs are the key on cals in, and I think most Americans could be a lot healthier by decreasing. Funny how newsman never says this. He's worried about coconut oil, eggs, coffee, and alcohol, but not the carb-laden 3,500 cal/day diet?

Is it the ad revenue or the agenda? Don't know.



Yes, we all must enjoy the time we have been given. I think it says a lot about a person who is willing to forfeit his happiness because a newsman said so.

[BladesNBarrels]

We need to ban disease!
It's for the children!

[facepalm]

[Irving]

Is there any data on other news sources? Like Fox News or E News? I imagine those graphs would look different, but I'd be interested to see how much different.