What are your thoughts on the media coverage of COVID-19?

[cutter]

I'm curious about how current media coverage in the United States is perceived from a prepper's point of view

[9idrr]

Knowin' their leftist slant, plus the tendency to cover for the Chinese, I was surprised to see them booted from mainland China. I'm pretty sure it involved WaPo, WSJ but I can't remember who else. It makes me think that now they'll be a bit more willin' to give us more evenhanded coverage, and possibly question leaders from other countries than just our own.
Still ain't willin' to believe Chinese government's statistics.

[papaof2]

Mar 18, 2020 22:03:08 GMT -6 9idrr said:

Knowin' their leftist slant, plus the tendency to cover for the Chinese, I was surprised to see them booted from mainland China. I'm pretty sure it involved WaPo, WSJ but I can't remember who else. It makes me think that now they'll be a bit more willin' to give us more evenhanded coverage, and possibly question leaders from other countries than just our own.
Still ain't willin' to believe Chinese government's statistics.

Now, now. What kind of attitude is that to have about one of our primary raw materials suppliers for prescription and OTC medications?

I believe their numbers - they've had AT LEAST 80,894 cases and AT LEAST 3,237 deaths. (scmp.org numbers about 3 hours ago)

[9idrr]

Actually, I thought I trod pretty lightly on both the PRC and the media. Try not to let political leanings color my posts most of the time, seein' as how my (now) wife thought I was awfully conservative for bein' in my early twenties back in '70 or so and havin' grown up just a couple of miles from the UC campus. Was really somethin' in those days, runnin' around Bezerkeley with hair on my shoulders and a pretty wild beard but not long out of the Army. Of course, I ain't necessarily proud of how I abused my brain cells back then, but within a year or so I'd stopped messin' with that stuff and concentrated on just bein' a workin' man. Still about as conservative as most anybody you're likely to meet and been around the block enough times to lack faith in about 90% of what comes out of China and our "reporters" as they like to call themselves.

[papaof2]

I don't think "reporters" is the correct word. Perhaps "news tweakers" or maybe "news abusers"? That last one has a nice ring to it and people could chant it when a particularly annoying news rep is asking questions ;-)

Can't you just hear "News Abuser! News Abuser! News Abuser!"?

[lyn]

Mar 18, 2020 13:13:46 GMT -6 cutter said:

I'm curious about how current media coverage in the United States is perceived from a prepper's point of view

I think the media is playing slight of hand. Lots of stories about the fact that you cannot buy toilet paper for love or money. Yet few on the lack of available test kits.

Also lots of stories focusing on Washington and California. Hardly ever mentioning small town areas that probably have the same percentage of infection, yet no available testing to find out.

I live in a small rural area. My county shows zero infected. Yet one county over has exploded with it. A county line doesn't prevent the spread of the virus. In fact, lot of the people who live here, work there.

We're simply not exciting enough to test and report on.

I'm one of those at risk people so, yeah, I'm self isolating, hunkered down with my enormous hoard of toilet paper.

PS - Spent the last several days reading through riches to rags to riches. All caught up. Unusual style, engrossing story. Enjoying it very much. Thank you!

[9idrr]

Mar 19, 2020 20:06:46 GMT -6 papaof2 said:

I don't think "reporters" is the correct word. Perhaps "news tweakers" or maybe "news abusers"? That last one has a nice ring to it and people could chant it when a particularly annoying news rep is asking questions ;-)

Can't you just hear "News Abuser! News Abuser! News Abuser!"?

Add some more lyrics and sing it to the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" or some such inspirational song.

[brucearmstrong65]

A few random thoughts:

* There's an old saying in the news business: "If it bleeds, it leads." "Nothing happening" or "no new developments" doesn't equal ratings. It might be true, but that's not really important as "the numbers." The MSM hates Trump; Fox News loves Trump and hates the MSM.

The media has no respect whatsoever for preppers - never really has. News coverage about preppers and COVID-19 tends to be either that (1) we're responsible for the empty shelves & stores by "hoarding" what other people need/deserve; or (2) those survivalist nuts are enjoying the crisis, saying "we told you so" to the "economically disadvantaged" people who couldn't afford to stock up. A local (Fresno, CA) radio station, very conservative and blindly pro-Trump, have bee endlessly ridiculing people buying TP and water in the past week, and preppers in general. Always refers to hoarders, hiding in their bunkers on a throne of TP, etc, etc.

Sorry for the rambling - I'm in a bad mood tonight. About as prepared as I can be for my 89-yr-old mother and myself. If it gets really bad out here, which I think is about a week to 10 days away, my main goal is to survive a day longer than my mother, so she won't have to be alone at the very end. (Cheerful note to end on, eh?)

[papaof2]

I'm very aware of risk as we're both over 70 and I've had one episode of AFIB that got me to the hospital via ambulance with lights and siren and the EMT saying "I hope we get you there in time" - not something you ever want to hear from an EMT. In your place, I'd also be concerned.

I'm the oldest of the immediate family (by a few months) but we have younger family (second cousin of my wife) who is 20+ years younger but at much higher risk from heart problems - and she and her husband are caring for 4 grandkids ages 11-15 (and doing an excellent job of it).

The media can only see preppers as "crazy people" wanting the end of the world or someone to blame for things that don't fit the MSM idea of "perfect" - very few of them have ever come close to my requirements for "perfect", which include such things as truth and responsibility. Yep. I'm an old PITA.

[lyn]

Gotta be honest, I'm not saying it but I'm thinking it really loudly. The I told you so. To my family who've thought I was nuts for 'hoarding'.

It's the word usage that shows the bias. Read one of Jerry D's stories a long time ago that made a huge impression on me. Rudy's Preparedness... Cannot remember the exact title. He talks about unbiased reporting and adjective word selection. The use of hoarding as we're seeing now is an excellent example.

Anyhow. My two cents. Time for coffee.

[cutter]

Rudy's Preparedness Shop. I loved that story. I was told why TPgeddon began that I'd "been saying it for years and you were right." "It" is the need and benefit of stocking up in a sensible manner. I define sensible as things being used before they go bad.

[papaof2]

Mar 21, 2020 7:22:55 GMT -6 cutter said:

Rudy's Preparedness Shop. I loved that story. I was told why TPgeddon began that I'd "been saying it for years and you were right." "It" is the need and benefit of stocking up in a sensible manner. I define sensible as things being used before they go bad.

For us, a year's worth of toilet paper will fit under a twin bed and we'll certainly use it up before it goes bad ;-) I typically buy a 48 roll pack a couple times a year - usually when I have to stretch to reach the next roll under that bed ;-)

Still semi-expecting to hear from a disabled friend who some years ago responded to my "You should keep a couple weeks of food on hand in case we have another snow event like this." with "I'll come to your house." Sorry, but the County Transit System (and their handicap buses) won't be running in that much snow and your scooter doesn't run for that many uphill miles or in snow. As long as her spouse is able to be out and the stores are open they'll both be OK but almost certainly not happy if things reach the "Over 70 must stay inside" level.

My better half doesn't look her age (been mistaken for a 50-something more than once and most people see me as 60-ish, not 70+. I see no reason to tell anyone the difference these days unless it makes things easier for me. (One adult daughter did tell me that she hoped she had inherited my "young looking" gene ;-)

I think a few people will come through this with a multi-day/week pantry mindset that stays with them - sort of like the older family members we had who'd been through the Great Depression - I remember my maternal grandmother always having lots of home-canned things in the closet under the stairs to the upper level of their house.

With the lack of fresh meat at the grocery stores (and Costco - 70% of their meat coolers were empty the last time we were there) looks like we'll be tapping into the canned ground beef in the pantry after we finish what's in the freezer - my better half did ask about burgers the other day and frozen meat can be made into burgers ;-)

Will there be multi-month quarantines? I hope not, but if utilities stay on we'd be semi-comfortable. Without utilities, we'd still probably survive.

Birdshot can be deadly at 2 feet, buckshot at 10 feet. Load alternate rounds to stop them at the door and as they run away.

Remember to put the signs out: "Due to the rising cost of ammunition, warning shots will NOT be fired."

Or another one I like: "These premises protected by hollow point and FMJ."

The second one is for the knowledgeable raiders. Having both signs is optional but perhaps better sportsmanship ;-)

[lyn]

I keep about 6 month's worth. If I open something it goes on the grocery list. Guess that makes me one of those awful hoarders. I buy by the month and they didn't have one third of my March grocery list.

I'm not saying that if people had stocked up before they wouldn't have to freak out now. Just thinking it really loudly.

Don't know that this will make much of an impressive on the young people. I started learning about prepping after our local blizzard of 1993. Most of the same people who are freaking out about their toilet paper are the same ones who lived through that with me.

[lyn]

Impression. Not impressive. Hit the wrong word selection. That's a symptom of the brain out distancing the finger.

My only internet is through my phone so I'm reduced to hunt and peck typing. Normally I love the word selection feature. Other times it makes me empirically proven to be lazy.

[papaof2]

Autocorrect is one of the few things that should have audio. It displays its choice and asks "This word, master?"

[lyn]

Mar 21, 2020 16:21:03 GMT -6 papaof2 said:

Autocorrect is one of the few things that should have audio. It displays its choice and asks "This word, master?"

Hahaha! Agreed!

[cutter]

Now that there has been some discussion, I'll put my 2 cents in. I think COVID-19 is serious. I think at the moment it is more dangerous and deadly than the more common flu viruses. On the other hand, I have not seen evidence that it is the next Black Death. I think humanity should recognize and respect it for the very real threat that it is, but not be paralyzed with terror by the evil monster it has been portrayed in the media. I think the media has hyped the whole affair to a point where the created fear is even more dangerous than the disease. It will take time, and there will be more problems ahead, but my instincts tell me that we will get a handle on this. What the social and political fallout will ultimately be, remains to be seen.

[papaof2]

Agreed, Cutter. However, some of the population can't see anything bad that isn't painted in 30 foot high black letters on a blood red background. For those, the media frenzy may be needed :-(

When a state's Governor has to ban the use of ALL beached (public and private) because the high school/college age group can't get past their ideas of invincibility, you know we're not dealing with the sharpest knives in the set. They may be semi-immune but their parents, grand parents and baby sister are not. Sometimes it seems the "board of education" still needs to be applied low down and firmly to those a few years either side of age 20 - and some even older...

In practical terms, there are spreadsheets available to do your own predictions, using your choice of infection rates, incubation times, etc. Unfortunately, Italy fits their base predictions like a glove if you make the "doubling" time 4 days.

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I expect we'll be out once this week. My better half to check on the older couple next door and see if they need groceries or meds which she'll get when she takes advantage of the "senior hours" at the local grocery either Tuesday or Wednesday morning. She's already told me she'd be masked (glad she remembered that). If they need meds, the closest pharmacy is across the road from the grocery (if they don't use the grocery's pharmacy). We have a small list of OTC things that we want to add to and I need to make one last trip to Lowe's to be able to finish the rocket stove as I want it - I've been making a list of "Be nice to have" items as we mention things.

If you're masked and gloved for one errand, you might as well make the loop for everything on your list and only be out once.

For those using liquid chlorine bleach, I ran across this yesterday. The author did not provide a reference for the long term weakening of liquid bleach but the numbers provide something to work with if your bleach isn't fresh. If it's lost 20% of its strength, increase the amount you're using for disinfection proportionally. The link also has how to make chlorine bleach using pool shock and the formulas to get the amount and strength you need.

tacticalintelligence.net/blog/how-to-make-chlorine.htm

"Unfortunately, the average shelf life of liquid bleach (being stored between 50 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit) is around 6 months. After that, bleach will lose 20% of its strength at around the year mark and then 20% each year after that. So if you’re not vigilant about keeping it rotated, chances are when you need it for disinfecting water or to keep things clean you’ll be fresh out of bleach and luck."

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If that loss of strength is linear, then 20/12 = 1.67% per month. You did date the last bottle of bleach when you bought it?

[cutter]

I did, and wrote the expiration date that was printed on it in a size that doesn't take the Hubble telescope to read

[cutter]

So what happens if you freeze bleach? According to what I found on the web, freezing point of Clorox is 5 degrees Fahrenheit. Would that preserve its effectiveness

[papaof2]

Don't let it freeze.

From the experts: www.clorox.com/how-to/laundry-basics/product-usage-guides/shelf-life/

The active ingredient in bleach, sodium hypochlorite, naturally breaks down into salt and water. The rate of breakdown increases rapidly when bleach is stored in extreme hot or freezing temperatures, or when a bottle is more than one year old.

[cutter]

Good to know. Thanks much, Papa.

[castleman]

I figured I'd give some folks on here a perspective of how the media's done in the UK over COVID coverage.

Very. Very. Badly.

To the point just 28% of the british public, when polled, trust anything the UK media says.

This largely came about thanks to the UK government's public, televised briefings on COVID that saw the journalists ask the same question 40 times over from multiple different media outlets, and the subsequent spin, or outright lie they put out after people had watched them just minutes, or hours before. This became grossly obvious when the Chief Scientific Adviser, and Chief medical officer said they had no desire whatsoever to comment on what they considered political matters and were bound by the civil service code from doing so.

This translated into the Prime Minister "Gagging" his advisors on a political matter they didn't want to be pulled into themselves!

The Government's decided they like the fact they can sidestep the media just outright lying about what they said, they're going to televise Press Briefings going forward. This is either hailed by the few media outlets who reported matters more accurately (certain right leaning newspapers and magazines) or darkly compared to "Trump's White House" by those who realise the game is up and they can't make up whatever they want when people can simply go and watch what was actually said.