Hindsight is a wonderful thing. It can show us how we went right and how we went wrong. It can say I told you so as well as letting us in on the human condition that is mass hysteria. Take swine flu. The international media has had a ball with this one, and as Media Watch on the ABC this week showed, everyone was on the bandwagon. See the story here via ABC’s MediaWatch website.

An interesting article from news.com.au. David Southwell offers a reply (“Not enjoying the cynic view of disasters”) to Sydney Morning Herald journo Ross Gittins’ story titled “The punters love a good disaster“. In short we, the audience are entertained by media coverage of disasters, natural or otherwise in the same was we are entertained by horror films or teary eyed romantic dramas.