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Isn't It About Time The COVID Newscast Numbers Stop?
On March 21st, for better or worse, most of the COVID restrictions are being removed in Ontario - not to mention most other provinces. Yet every time I turn on CTV Toronto's newscast, they take at least a minute or more of precious airtime to constantly present the latest provincial C-19 numbers - how many cases have been reported in the last 24 hours, how many are in ICU, how many have been resolved and sadly, the new death toll.
They follow this by displaying the number of people who have had one shot, two shots, a booster and a partridge in a pear tree. Here's my problem with all this - the government no longer officially tracks the number of cases that are being reported - they haven't in some time - and the anchors openly admit in their copy that the numbers aren't accurate.
If that's the case, why keep reporting them? There was a time this info was relevant. But now it just seems tired and exploitive. There will always be COVID numbers. There will always be flu numbers. And colds. And people suffering from allergies. I'm not trying to equate them all, but, barring a major new outbreak, at what point do we stop reporting these figures? Especially when they admit there's no way to know if they're true.
I have to admit, when those graphic boards come on my screen, I generally tune elsewhere to see what the other news programs are up to. As far as I can tell, no one except CFTO is still reporting these on a daily basis.
It's time to put them to rest. At least for now. Because when it comes to reporting COVID, their number's up. Or in this case, thankfully, down.
- radiokid
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Re: Isn't It About Time The COVID Newscast Numbers Stop?
I'm going to regret even getting into this chat....
We have a government who is up for reelection. They took away tests, and true case numbers and only recording cases inside hospitals. This means we really don't know any true numbers, which makes things look better than they likely are. Dropping masks against true medical and scientist advice is also about to happen.
These are all to make the base for the current government happy to make it appear things are great in hopes of reelection.
Currently there are countries in lockdown, with a new subvariant, yet we would have no clue if it's here unless someone actually goes to hospital.
This was a move of Trump's government in the USA where "if you don't test, you don't get covid". This is nothing more than political games being played with our health.
We are all tired of this covid thing, but putting our head in the sand doesn't make it go away.
I'm not saying it's right to put up numbers, or wrong on the screen, but to say it is over at this point is uneducated hogwash when real science, stats and non political connected medical professionals are all saying we are rushing here.
Until we know how the next wave is, the very least we can do is wear a mask... but I guess because an election is coming up, we are going to take a risk that if a variant that hits people hard arrives, we will be sitting ducks.
Trust Medical doctors and Scientists only with your healthcare... never trust a politician up for reelection.
Last edited by radiokid (March 15, 2022 9:40 am)
- RadioActive
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Re: Isn't It About Time The COVID Newscast Numbers Stop?
I get what you're saying, but I'm looking at it strictly from a broadcasting perspective. I just don't see the value in putting up numbers on screen that the anchors themselves admit aren't accurate. Isn't accuracy the whole point of reporting the news?
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Thread Starter- Radiowiz
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Re: Isn't It About Time The COVID Newscast Numbers Stop?
I wanna know if numbers go back up 14 days after March Break. It's still something to keep an eye on.
Maybe also good to see how numbers are doing...will we be forced to go back to masks after only a short while in "choice" mode?
Lots to keep an eye on.
I say KEEP reporting the numbers...
- radiokid
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Re: Isn't It About Time The COVID Newscast Numbers Stop?
RadioActive wrote:
I get what you're saying, but I don't see the value in putting up numbers on screen that the anchors themselves admit aren't accurate. Isn't accuracy the whole point of reporting the news?
I don't disagree... The numbers are actually not incorrect.. but based on what they can get which is only hospital numbers, it is only right within that scope.
- radiokid
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Re: Isn't It About Time The COVID Newscast Numbers Stop?
I wanna know if numbers go back up 14 days after March Break. It's still something to keep an eye on.
Maybe also good to see how numbers are doing...will we be forced to go back to masks after only a short while in "choice" mode?
Lots to keep an eye on.
I say KEEP reporting the numbers...
The issue is most people wear masks that only work one direction.. Standard cloth/3 ply masks that most use, only protect others around you... NOT the person wearing it. Unless you know this, and spend money on a N95 or KN95, you have a considerable risk of catching covid from some unmasked person. This puts people who are trying to protect themselves at risk. Myself, I'm moving to KN95's starting March 21st when I go out. But I'm in the know... most are not.
Keeping the mask rule in place even until June would have not been a big ask... but when you are playing politics with healthcare, and up for relection... you take risks. If we have a massive outbreak, it could mean the end of your polticial career too.
Last edited by radiokid (March 15, 2022 9:48 am)
- MJ Vancouver
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Re: Isn't It About Time The COVID Newscast Numbers Stop?
Personally I don’t think it needs to be reported every day. And case numbers have never been accurate - they have likely been heavily underestimated throughout the pandemic and are even less accurate now.
I have found CTV in general (nationally and locally) has given more weight to Covid coverage than other broadcasters. When I was back in Ontario in December I noticed CTV London spent the first 10-15 minutes of every newscast on Covid, even on a day where there had been a fatal car accident outside Glencoe that ordinarily would lead a newscast. Global BC, which is what I typically watch where I live, at that point was covering Covid very briefly each night, sometimes as far as 30 minutes into the News Hour. I also found Global Toronto when I was visiting didn’t spend as much time on it as CTV and didn’t always lead with it. NBC Nightly News at that point was leading with it but they kept it capped to the first 5 minutes.
Covid has absolutely been a big news story and is absolutely still a major issue for Canada and the world, but I do think some media outlets are fixating too much on daily numbers, especially right now with what is happening in Europe.
I think both CBC and Global are striking the right balance right now.
Last edited by MJ Vancouver (March 15, 2022 2:06 pm)
- Johnny B
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Re: Isn't It About Time The COVID Newscast Numbers Stop?
Best way to pretend something no longer exists is to stop talking about it
- Media Observer
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Re: Isn't It About Time The COVID Newscast Numbers Stop?
Best way to pretend something no longer exists is to stop talking about it
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- AM&A's
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Re: Isn't It About Time The COVID Newscast Numbers Stop?
Lazy 'journalism' that fills up time slots in the Broadcast Management System.
- Tomas Barlow
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Re: Isn't It About Time The COVID Newscast Numbers Stop?
Lazy 'journalism' that fills up time slots in the Broadcast Management System.
Reporting on a global pandemic that has killed 12 000 people in this province including several more this week is hardly lazy journalism. Getting bored and throwing in the towel on it is lazy journalism.