Mar 19 2008
First Do No Harm; Shark “Attack” in the Bahamas
As folks who read both my blogs know, I’ve been superbusy over on ElementalMom, not so much over here. But this article, from the thoughtful and thoroughly-researched DeeperBlue.net crossed my feedreader this morning, and I had to comment.
Sharing the Truth About the Shark “Attack” in the Bahamas
The media’s response to this tragedy has been horrific. It is one thing for a reporter to cut and paste misinformation gleaned from another article… but seeing the blatant fabrication of “facts,” reports, and quotations in some stories has made me ashamed to have ever called myself a journalist. Physicians take the Hippocratic Oath when they enter practice… perhaps there should be a similar mantra for members of the media, to help guide them as they provide “truth” for the hungry eyes and ears of the world.
This event was a terrible, but freak accident. Roughly 40 people die each year in parachuting accidents in the US alone. An equal number die in skiing accidents, again, just in the US. In 2007, there was only ONE shark related fatality… worldwide. Yet, we managed to kill more than 100 million of them. =(
To all you faithful readers: If you hear people talking about this event, or about sharks in a negative manner, please interject and help enlighten them to the truth about sharks. If you help convince even ONE person that the media hype is undeserved or sensationalized, you will have made a difference.
What he said. Please, if it comes up (and I know I’ve been asked about it), speak truth. There are enough damn lies out there as it is.