Page 11 - January 2020 IIssue new year

The Spectrum of Death: Perspective on News Coverage

age age of assault victims, Pre-natal Issues - 11,897 counts for hundreds of fa-
B the causes cut off many Birth Defects - 9,609 talities a day. But accounts
R years from the future of Suicides - 42,826 of individual deaths in

O these victims. Auto Accidents - 35,398 the second group break
W Drug-Related - 42,032 through into national cov-

A Our goal, though, remains Drowning - 3,406 erage only sporadically, a
R to gain perspective. Six couple dozen times a year,
D other causes of death also We do not want to ven- mainly related to noted

impacted individuals in ture into judgments of the individuals or celebrities.
U their early or middle life, value of one life verses Even at the local level,

N with the average age of another, or whether one five of the six categories,
I infliction shown following cause of death stands all except auto accidents,
V the name of the cause. We more noble or tragic than receive only occasional re-

E will call this collection of another. However, we can porting of individual inci-
R six the “second group”. -- and must -- observe that dents. Now, auto accidents

S the loss of life from the do garner significant local
I Pre-natal Issues - Average second group of causes news coverage of singular
T age less than one year old produces deaths with no- deaths; however, that cov-

Y Birth Defects - Average ticeably more frequency erage, if one watches for
age less than 30, with half than the first group. The a period days, runs lower

2 or more less than 15 second group kills order- and with less priority that
0 Suicides - Average less of-magnitude 100 thou- murders and even non-
2 than 50, with half done sand individuals a year, fatal crimes.

0 with firearms more than the first five of
Auto Accidents - Average items in the first group As noted before, this lev-

less than 45 killed since 2000, and well els no criticism at report-
Drug-Related - Average more on a yearly basis that ing on airplane crashes,
less than 45 the sixth item, assaults, of or mass shootings, or the

Drowning - Average less the first group. heroism of first responders
than 40 In contrast to the greater and armed forces person-

The six causes of fatalities number of fatalities, me- nel. And issues such as
produced their own toll dia coverage of the second drunk driving, and birth
of victims, as follows, for group runs significantly defects, and gun-related

one year, again 2014, as lower that the first group. suicide, and pain killer
reported by the CDC. The second group ac- deaths, do receive periodic

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