Media Panick: Convenience vs. Timeliness

As I'm sure we've all heard, there has at last been a case of Ebola diagnosed in the US. Of course the media is having a field day with this information the moment it is released. As soon as someone, who traveled here from Africa, comes our way are we now expected to run away from them?

While this disease is terrifying in its own way, we must continue our daily lives and do everything we can to help those affected by it. However, does that mean we should read about it every second of the day, start wearing gloves to work and avoid touching anyone in an elevator? CNN released this report earlier today, Oct. 5, 2014 to announce the condition of the man diagnosed. Only now that this one patient has gone into critical condition with a virus that has over a 50% fatality rate, must the US consider raising the level of security at the airports. Not before we have had a diagnosis, and certainly not when the problem first began and other countries decided to up their airport staff and increase watch lists, oh no, we needed to wait.

Every time there is an even such as this, the media enjoys publishing hourly updates and breaking news titles to enhance the terror struck into their readers. Every fear is another click. Every person dying in Africa means nothing until someone from the US is transported here with the virus or someone is diagnosed here with the virus. The news won't capitalize on this event unless they can really bring it home to people.

Today I googled Ebola US, out of the 25 links I got on the first page 16 of them were updated or published within the last 20 hours. Why do you believe the media is producing so much information out on this event, even though we have scientists and top doctors telling us it's not that big of a deal?