EDITORIAL: Anti-media rhetoric symptom of COVID-19

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/05/2020 (1962 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

We’re increasingly a society that lives and dies by our own version of the truth, punting whatever inconvenient truths that disagree with our world view by the wayside while adopting whatever we want to hear, regardless of its accuracy or truthfulness.

Last week’s news that a COVID-19 case had been found at local home-care company Daughter on Call was initially dismissed by some as mere rumour, and that the accusation constituted libel or “tabloid-style reporting.” Some of those to initially criticize the coverage didn’t seem to recognize what journalism is and would prefer to see The Brandon Sun merely serve as a public relations firm for business and community organizations. While promoting events and community efforts is an important part of what we do, we don’t limit our coverage to the positives.

But, these cries of “Fake News,” made more popular in recent years thanks to U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated “enemy of the people” rants against journalists who dare report any of the many damning truths about him, are becoming old hat. As humans, we make mistakes, but when we do we consistently own up to them with correction notices printed on Page A2. Unlike the government, we strive for transparency.

Sadly, anti-media rhetoric has accompanied COVID-19 coverage, not only locally, where just about every story is met with claims the pandemic is some sort of fear-mongering hoax, but most notable in the United States, where protecting one’s self and others against illness is seen as a partisan decision.

“Motivated reasoning is a pervasive tendency of human cognition,” said social psychologist Dr. Peter Ditto in a story posted on the American Psychological Association website. “People are capable of being thoughtful and rational, but our wishes, hopes, fears and motivations often tip the scales to make us more likely to accept something as true if it supports what we want to believe.”

A related condition is the illusionary truth effect, where people believe false information to be correct even after repeated exposure to accurate information.

“It takes more information to make you believe something you don’t want to believe than something you do,” Ditto said.

For the vast majority of us, COVID-19 hasn’t had anything to do with medical concerns. Instead, we’ve been dealing with the cure and not the disease. As such, for many of us, the cure has undeniably been worse than the disease. This is a good thing, in that if not for the cure the much worse flipside would have been the case. But, that line of reasoning is difficult to process when you’re a few months into isolation, thrown out of your regular routine and potentially out of work.

As a result of this, we’re more inclined than ever to dismiss COVID-19. We’ve had about as much as we can take as it relates to the safety measures put in place. That’s why thousands of people crowded a Toronto park during the weekend, and why the pressure to relax restrictions has switched into high gear just about everywhere.

With the infection rate in Canada lower than it’s been in other countries and Manitoba now boasting zero hospitalizations, the argument for social distancing restrictions has appeared increasingly weak.

Contrast this with the latest grim realities elsewhere. During the weekend, The New York Times filled its front page with the names of some of the 100,000 Americans who have died as a result of COVID-19. Worldwide, there have been approximately 345,000 deaths as of Sunday, including 6,355 in Canada.

Manitoba’s sitting pretty at the moment, but let’s remember we’re in this position because of our early adoption of social distancing, which we are now casting aside in order to enjoy our fleeting summer days.