If the H1N1 virus had turned out to be an outbreak with serious implications, I do not think that we would now be criticizing the College or anyone for anxiety-producing coverage. Hindsight is always 20/20. If anything, the warning from the College and The Dartmouth caused students to wash their hands a little bit more, take care of their bodies and crack swine flu jokes when eating ham sandwiches. Where is the "culture of fear" in that?
--Jasper Hicks '12
Friday's Verbum Ultimum hit the nail on the head with its assertion that The Dartmouth, along with other media organizations, "repeated the 'official' line without taking a more critical perspective." While it may have been difficult to remain reasonable amid the sea of overblown hysteria coming from the U.S. government, any thinking person should have recognized the improbability of swine flu spreading to seven Dartmouth students within a week of its outbreak in Mexico, and paused to ask more probing questions about the meaning of phrases like "probable case." More than anyone else, journalists should know the power of loaded words.
--Emily Johnson '12
The flu is a common ailment, and if one is of frail constitution (whether one is weak or old), then the flu is a real threat no matter what it's called or where it comes from. Unfortunately, Dartmouth dramatically overreacted to the H1N1 strain like everyone else, but there was really no alternative in the face of the media hype. A failure to react the way the administration did, wasteful as it was, would have caused irrational concern among parents that Dartmouth doesn't take "epidemics" seriously.
--Chris Talamo '11
Instead of criticizing the College administration for their handling of the Great Swine Flu Scare of '09, the Dartmouth Editorial Board should formally apologize for its irresponsible journalism over the past week. The job of a campus newspaper is not simply to work as a bullhorn for College officials. The moment the administration announced suspected swine flu cases, it became The Dartmouth's responsibility to interpret and expound on the implications of that information. Let this be a sobering experience for the editors: journalism is not a game. A good media source is not the one that updates its web site the fastest or one that uses flamboyant red font to indicate breaking news. No, good journalism involves careful consideration and critical questioning of "official" information -- fundamentals The Dartmouth seems to have forgotten.
--Kevin Niparko '12
I believe that the College's reaction was appropriate given the many uncertainties that accompany any disease. Were swine flu to have rapidly mutated into a killer epidemic, we'd be scratching our heads wondering why the College didn't do more to warn people. The College is responsible for going to great lengths to protect students -- campus media outlets should provide the analysis that informs students to the next level.
--Isaiah Berg '11
The College's reaction to potential cases of swine flu at Dartmouth was appropriate. The World Health Organization declared the H1N1 virus to be a "public health emergency." Although the virus turned out to be less serious than originally thought, I think it's unfair to blame the College for failing to second-guess the WHO. If the virus had turned out to be a major threat and the College had taken it less seriously, Dartmouth would have been criticized. It seems that, in this situation, the College can't win.
--Blair Sullivan '10
