A truism we often forget. Journalism is not about reporting the common, but the uncommon. It's only when we forget that, and assume that such events are common that they truly begin to frighten us.
Originally shared by +Doyce Testerman:
G.K. Chesterton, a journalist to gets (well, got) it.
Why We Are So Afraid and Confused and Get Child Dangers ALL WRONG : Free Range Kids
Fighting the belief that our children are in constant danger from creeps, kidnapping, germs, grades, flashers, frustration, baby snatchers, bugs, bullies, men, sleepovers, Ivy League rejection letters and/or the perils of a non-organic grape.
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It's a strange juxtaposition because we need them to report the exceptions. We want to know about the asshole cop that shoots an unarmed teen. I think we really want more common sense applied.
+Jon Weber Well, we want both — the everyday (the football scores at the local high school) and the extraordinary (man bites dog).
The problem is twofold. (1) Humans are crap for doing rational risk analysis, and (2) the media (all to some degree, more focused for some more ideological media stations) don't only report the extraordinary, but like to hype up trends ("Another man has bitten a dog? Could your man be next? Film at 11!") because alarmism sells.