Span of Attention:
Some news observers see at least one serendipitous result from the Gulf Coast calamity--the US press corps seems to be regaining some spine and focus in the wake of the storm. And no one can miss the huge spontaneous outburst of generous concern from individuals, groups and communities all across the nation and the world (see below). But a recent interview with Marc Seigel, author of False Alarm: The Truth About the Epidemic of Fear, by Daily Show host Jon Stewart put its finger on a core problem with US disaster preparedness. It is increasingly difficult for the media, federal policy makers and the populace at large to differentiate between what is an immediate, likely and widespread threat, and what is a remote, unlikely and localized threat. For example, a resident of New Orleans listening to the news for the last few years might have been led to fear an anthrax attack just as much as a levee break. And disaster officials m ight have expended as much or more effort preparing to deal with one as with the other. As for the media, Stewart compared its response to these situations to the way eight-year-old boys play soccer: "There's the ball!"--everybody piles on and the ball squirts out the top--"No-there's the ball!"--and everybody piles on again. "Don't they have any memory?" he complained. This time, hopefully, we won't forget to remember.