Misinformation causes concern

Dear Editor,

After reading the letter titled “Media Causes Concern” (March 12, 2020), as well as answers to the “Question of the Week” in the March 5 issue, I have come to the conclusion that there are a lot of very uninformed and/or misinformed people out there. I am not an alarmist or a fear monger by nature, but I am a card-carrying realist. One can’t blame the media for reporting the truth just because one doesn’t want something to be true, or one doesn’t believe something to be true. Unfortunately, there is fake news in the world, but it is rare in most accredited news outlets. The fact is that social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram just to name a few, are the primary engines behind the origination and perpetuation of fake news. Not to mention foreign bad actors around the globe. This publication’s Letter to the Editor column is the closest thing to social media that I ever intend to be involved with. I don’t know if the woman from Plains, who wrote the letter mentioned above, is a doctor or economist or if she just stayed at a Holiday Inn Express the night before she wrote it, but it is ill advised to give medical or economic advise without the knowledge necessary to do so. I am sure her intentions were honorable, but misguided.

Fact: the COVID-19 virus is in the united states. Fact: it is in almost every state now as I write this and will eventually spread to every state in the contiguous U.S., even Montana. Fact: even if you are fortunate enough not to contract or die from this disease, you will eventually know someone who will. Fact: this new, never before seen virus is much more contagious then the common cold or flu with no viable vaccine possible for at least a year to eighteen months. Fact: children seem to be spared from the more severe symptoms with 80% of people infected having mild symptoms, but people over 60 have much more severe symptoms, often needing hospitalization, and those over 80 that contract COVID-19 have an extremely high mortality rate. Final Fact: whether or not you think any of these facts will affect you personally, the global economic impact certainly will. Every industry & business, large & small, in this country & the rest of the world will be negatively affected in some way by this Pandemic. I am all but certain that most, if not all, of the numbers regarding these facts will have risen by the time you read this. The majority of these facts did not come from our government. They mostly came from infectious disease experts, other doctors, & well-known economists from this country and all around the world.

Now, I am no “Stable Genius,” but I think I am intelligent enough, & logically thinking enough to know who to believe. I know it sounds like a tough call choosing between the experts or the self-proclaimed stable genius currently residing in the White House, but I am pretty darn sure I have made the right decision here. So the next time someone decides to write a letter about something this serious, remember the media did not create this disease, is not spreading this disease, and is not responsible for how people react to the all of the issues surrounding it. And if you are asked to answer a question regarding a potentially serious health issue, which this will be for many, try to think beyond yourself. It is okay to just say you don’t know how to answer a question about a topic that you have little knowledge of. It is far better for the public to just think you’re uniformed, rather than to try & muddle through an answer & remove all doubt.

I am not 60 yet, but getting close, and I have a mother and mother-in-law, both over age 80, so my concerns are genuine. I really hope to read better-thought-out letters & comments from your readers moving forward. After all, this health crisis is going to affect us all before it “Mysteriously Disappears!” Yes, a recent “Stable Genius” comment. This is a global health & economic crisis that can’t be wished, prayed, or ignored away. Let’s all do what we can moving forward to block out the uninformed, misinformation noise being spread out there, which just might help us better understand & to get through what is going to be a very difficult time for everyone.

Sincerely,

Nick Ganatos,

Trout Creek