Page 17 - January 2020 IIssue new year

The Spectrum of Death: Perspective on News Coverage

over whether corporate varied and complex causes (and the overwhelming,
and university research of heart attacks, and the but understandable, em-
on disease cures has pro- distinctions of the causes phasis of corporate adver-

gressed most efficiently or for the 25 through 54 tising on their products),
effectively. group, mandate that varied such a debate has not

and sophisticated mea- readily broken through
Heart attacks stem from sures are needed to reduce to be a regular feature of
multiple causes -- hered- these deaths. media news reporting.

ity, personal habits, daily But through our collective
We do not, however, individual awareness, we

have extensive or de- hopefully could move the
tailed debate on stem- debate up a few notches.
ming the toll of deaths We can contribute, we can

from these medical write, we can question,
conditions. Do we we can when watching the

need more research? news simply interject that
Would public efforts like everyone we abhor
to change personal and detest terrorists and

habits and diet prove mass killers, but also have
effective? Should we sympathy for those who

regulate suspect com- die too young of heart
ponents of food, and conditions, or from sui-
how critical a role cide, or drunk driving.

does control of envi- And that we have concern
ronment contaminants whether enough is be-

play? Does our current ing done to prevent such
Photo Courtesy of google.com
medical system prop- deaths.
stress, diet, environmental erly diagnose heart (and

factors. Sixty thousand cancer) conditions and Consider a final scenario.
individuals between the effectively deliver preven- Imagine we received, each

age of 25 and 54 die annu- tive and reactive cures? day, or maybe each week,
ally from heart attacks and a short personal news
related circulatory condi- Given the current media briefing, five to ten min-

tions, and over a half mil- slant to the unique and utes, on deaths of people
lion across all ages. The emotionally compelling our age, or in our occupa-

17