How they fan they flames

I write you concerning your reporting of Covid-19 cases.  From the article on 5/1:

“148 cases in Madison County

There are 148 confirmed novel coronavirus cases in Madison County as of May 1 at 4 p.m., up three from this morning's report.”

Reading this anyone would immediately believe that there are 148 people sick with the disease.

Yet, when I read further, I find:

“  Recovered: 94 cases (64%)

    Not recovered: 26 cases (18%)

    Better: 14 cases (9%)

    Unknown: 14 cases (9%)

    Deceased: 1”

The sub-headline and following sentence are not correct. You had 95 cases (94 +1). You now have, per the above, 45, of which 26 still ill, 14 are better and 14 are unknown.

An accurate sub-headline would have read: “There are 54 confirmed novel coronavirus cases in Madison County as of May 1 at 4 p.m., up three from this morning's report.”

The sub-headline seems to follow the old newspaper rule, “If it bleeds it leads.” That wasn’t good in the past. In today's world were people have largely gone to Social Media for their news, often quoting newspapers without attribution or analysis of what they quote, it is worse.

I appreciate your efforts, especially during these difficult and uncertain times. But as a subscriber I expect accuracy. Even more so when we are trying to emerge from an economy killing shut down. We desperately do not need inaccurate information fanning the flames.

I look forward to reading further articles that accurately state the problem as it exists today.

Thank you

 


"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper “It’s the presumption that Obama knows how all these industries ought to be operating better than people who have spent their lives in those industries, and a general cockiness going back to before he was president, and the fact that he has no experience whatever in managing anything. Only someone who has never had the responsibility for managing anything could believe he could manage just about everything.” - Thomas Sowell in Reason Magazine