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When Maple Leaf Foods recalled 220 packaged meat products that were potentially tainted with listeria bacteria, CEO Michael McCain issued an apology at a news conference, taking full responsibility for the crisis at the Toronto plant. Since that time, the public has been updated on a daily basis of the increasing number of cases across Canada and the rising death toll, which currently stands at ten people. How did you personally respond to the crisis? Did pay close attention to the story? Did you follow up every day to find out if the threat had changed in any way? Were you satisfied with the information your received through TV news reports, in newspaper articles, and on Internet blogs? In a public health crisis, do you think the media acts responsibly to provide information or do you think news directors only add to the hysteria by sensationalizing the story at every opportunity?
When details surfaced about "digital enhancements" to fireworks and lip-synching by the "ideal child" at the Beijing Olympics opening ceremonies, many observers shrugged it off as a necessary evil of the entertainment industry. Now, however, when the Chinese government changes the official age of a 14-year-old gymnast in all Internet references to avoid disqualification, it's nothing more than fraud. Do you agree? Or do you think that the Olympic Games are really only entertainment and should not be held up to such serious scrutiny? Do you think we should stop drug testing because it only catches athletes who don't have the financial---and pharmacological---resources to cheat? Should we simply stop trying to enforce such high Olympian ideals and just enjoy the show?
The senseless, barbaric murder of an innocent man on a bus heading to Winnipeg by a reportedly "normal, quiet man" becomes the top story for media outlets all over the world. The brutally violent descriptions of the actual killing and the mysterious circumstances of the crime involving apparently two strangers seated together leaves everyone shocked. Why does a random murder bring out so many emotional responses about sensitive issues such as mental illness, racism, and criminal justice? Do you think the media adds to the sensationalism of this news story, attracting more attention than it deserves? Or do you think, in these confusing situations, that the media shed light on important issues that helps us understand our world better?
