just need a little help

[Jaidis]

ok so I am doing an essay for my comp class on those warning that you hear on the news and read in magazines and such you know the ones "The Most Dangerous Thing in the World Might be in Your Kitchen"  more tonight at 11 or Monday morning at 5 what I'd like to know is do any of you listen to this stuff or do you just think it's kinda stupid a yes I listen or no it's stupid would be great but if you want to explain why that would be most welcome thanks guys

Jaid

[Kothnok]

I don't go out of my way to watch stuff like that, no.

It is the media's job to generate viewership for the advertisers and a common tactic is "fear mongering", aka "scare tactics".  9 times out of 10, the piece is generally obvious or based on statistics that are often misunderstood (lies, damn lies, and statistics!).

"Did you know that 12% of all kitchen accidents involve a butter knife?!"
(usually because that's the one tool people grab to clear out the garbage disposal)
"Soap is a leading cause of skull fractures in the bathtub!"
(soap makes things slippery and are most commonly found in bathtubs where it's easy to slip, so yeah, of course it would be a leading cause)
"Shocking news about using an electric shaver in the shower!"
(electricity and water do not mix)

Some people are unaware of the dangers and I guess it's helpful for some to learn about it in this way, but I generally do not worry much about it.

my 2 cp

[Avelandra]

From my experience most of what I see on the news with those titles is actually quite old. I have either read it on an industry page, or already got a patch for what ever vulnerability that is being reported on. I watch them to see what kind of questions I am going to get the next day.

Also, they sometimes report on wide reaching and slow moving things like online privacy, and make it seem like its new and breaking news. I agree with koth that it probably has alot to do with ratings.

No matter what it is that they are talking about, its almost always a fear-mongering half-truth that the average person who does not read slashdot or work in the computer field can understand. Might scare people into caring, alot of "average office worker"s I've dealt with have the "it wont happen to me" mentality, its good when they can see real people getting hit with ID theft or something.