What's more dangerous: swine flu or swine flu hype?

>> Emily: WELL SO FAR THERE
ARE ABOUT 16 CONFIRMED SWINE FLU
DEATHS AND 562 CONFIRMED CASES
WORLDWIDE.
IT'S GENERATED THOUSANDS OF
MEDIA REPORTS RANGING FROM
ALARMIST TO JUST PLAIN WRONG.
AND THE FLU HAS COST ONE RADIO
HOST SOME AIR TIME.
>> WMPLET TKK HOIST JAY SEVERIN
JOINED THE PRACTICED THIS TO HIS
PET TARGETS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS.
BUT SEVERIN'S JUDGMENT MAY HAVE
TAKEN A SIESTA AS HE BASHED AWAY
TO MEXICANS CALLING THEM LEAVES
AND PRIMITIVES.
>> THE 5,000 CRIMINAL ALIENS
THAT COME ACROSS THE BORED WILL
PROBABLY BE 8,000 TONIGHT.
>> Emily: THEY MARKED SEVERIN
ON INDEFINITE SUSPENSION AND
WHILE HIS LAWYER DOESN'T KNOW
EXACTLY WHICH COMMENTS OFFENDED
STATION MANAGEMENT, THIS ON AIR
EXCHAIN WITH A LOCAL NURSE
PROBABLY DIDN'T HELP.
>> I'M JUST GRATEFUL I DON'T
WORK IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM.
>> WELL THAT SHOULD BECOME
ESSENTIALLY CONDOS FOR PLEX
KUNZ.
>> Emily: MEANWHILE SWINE
FEVER SEEMS TO BE CONTAGIOUS.
ORLANDO TELEVISION STATION WFTV
TREATED ITSELF INTO TROUBLE
SAYING IT HAS A SCOOP ON A LOCAL
SWINE FLU CASE BASED ON A SINGLE
E-MAIL FROM A HOSPITAL
ADMINISTRATOR.
HE WROTE, QUOTE, A CASE WAS
DIAGNOSED HERE IN ORLANDO TODAY
BUT FLORIDA HEALTH OFFICIALS
QUICKLY CALLED THE CASE
UNCONFIRMED PROMPTING CRITICISM
FROM CROSS TOWN RIVAL WESH.
NO CONFIRMED CASES OF SWINE FLU
HERE IN CENTRAL FLORIDA DESPITE
THE MEDIA REPORTS TO THE
CONTRARY.
WENT NEWSCASTERS WEREN'T
CORRECTING EACH OTHER, THEY WERE
CORRECTING THE VICE PRESIDENT
WHO MADE THIS GAP ON THE TODAY'S
SHOW.
>> WHEN ONE PERSON SNEEZES IT
GOES ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE
AIRCRAFT.
>> Emily: SORRY MR. VICE
PRESIDENT, EVEN THE
ADMINISTRATION'S OWN EXPERTS SAY
GERMS FROM A SNEEZE TRAVEL ONLY
ABOUT THREE FEET.
>> POLITICIANS PANIC OR THE
SWINE FLU, WHICH IS THE MOST
HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH.
>> Emily: MAYBE THE ANSWER IS
D IS, THE INFORMATION MISSING
FROM THE SWING FLU REPORTS.
THAT SWINE BLUE DOESN'T SEEM TO
BE ANY MORE DANGEROUS THAN
SEASONAL FLU WHICH AFFECTS
MILLIONS OF AMERICANS AND KILLS
36,000 EVERY YEAR.
THE FEDS ARE SAYING EXPECT
DEATHS FROM THIS OUTBREAK.
AND EXPECT BREATHLESS HEIGHTS
WHEN PANDEMICS HIT THE AIRWAYS.
>> Emily: ON THE JAY SEVERIN
I SHOULD SAY I'VE HAD SOME
UNPLEASANTRIES WITH HIM IN THE
PAST.
YOU SHOULDN'T BE FIRED FOR BEING
HIRED BUT THE GUY WHO HIRED HIM
HAS BEEN FIRED.
THE NEW GUY TOM BAKER IS THE
SAME GUY WHO WAS AT THE INTERCOM
WHEN THIS INFAMOUS MET CO
GORILLA INCIDENT TOOK PLACE.
MY GUESS IS THIS IS SORT OF A
PREEMPTIVE STRIKE AT JAY BECAUSE
THERE IS NO DON IMUS MOMENT,
THERE'S NO NAPPY HEADED
INCIDENT, THERE'S NOTHING HERE
THAT ANYONE CAN POINT TO THAT
ISN'T SORT OF LIKE THE KINDS OF
THINGS THAT JAY REGULARLY SAYS.
SO MY GUESS IS THAT THEY'LL
NEGOTIATING SOMETHING, TAMER
LANGUAGE AND HE WILL BE BACK ON
THE AIR WITHIN A WEEK OR TWO.
>> WHAT'S KIND OF FASCINATING
ABOUT THIS IS YOU LISTEN TO THE
WHOLE CLIP AND IF YOU LISTEN TO
IT THE OUT OF CONTEXT, YOU'D SAY
WELL OF COURSE THEY CAN'T
POSSIBLY PUT UP WITH THIS.
BUT IT'S NO DIFFERENT FROM
WHAT'S BEEN COMING OUT OF HIS
MOUTH FOR THE LAST TEN YEARS.
I WONDER IF IT MIGHT HAVE
SOMETHING TO DO WITH HIS SALARY.
I MEAN, HE TOOK A VERY LARGE
SALARY DURING A DIFFERENT
ECONOMIC CLIMATE AND YOU WONDER
IF THERE MIGHT BE SOME
RESTRUCTURING THAT GOES ON IF
AND WHEN HE COMES BACK TO THE
AIR.
AS FAR AS THE SWINE FLU GOES, I
MEAN, I THINK THAT YOUR REPORT
SAID IT ALL.
CNN DOT QUALM --.COM HAVE SAID
THOUSANDS HAVE DIED FROM THE FLU
SINCE JANUARY OF THISSER YEAR.
THIS IS HYPE ABOUT THIS.
WE MAY BE PROVEN WRONG.
>> Emily: WITH SOMEBODY
REPORTING IN THE HEALTH FIELD IS
THIS HYSTERIA.
>> THE PROBLEM IS THE MESSAGE
HAD NOT BEEN COMMUNICATED WELL.
PEOPLE HAVE MADE FUN OF
PRESIDENT OBAMA AND JANET
NAPOLITANO TONY SAYING WASH YOUR
HANDS.
WE DON'T WASH OUR HANDS VERY
WELL AND ACTUALLY THAT REALLY
TRANSMITS A LOT OF DISEASE.
SO HAVING SAID THAT THE W.H.O.
CAREFULLY LOOKS AT WHAT MEASURE
WE SHOULD BE AT.
LEVEL 5 MEANS THIS.
ORGANIZATIONS, COUNTRIES, GET
READY AND HAVE ENOUGH.
IT DOES NOT MEAN WE ARE AT THE
PLACE WHERE EVERYBODY IS
DROPPING DEAD BUT IT DOES MEAN
THAT WE DO NOT WANT TO BE THERE
LOOKING FOR TAMIFLU.
AND BECAUSE IT TAKES A WHILE TO
REVV UP THESE SYSTEMS.
YOU CAN'T GET GOVERNMENT FUNDING
IF YOU HAVE A TORNADO IT HAS TO
BE DECLARED AN EMERGENCY WITH
CERTAIN CARINA.
THEY ARE AT A POINT WHERE THEY
SAY WE WANT TO BE READY.
THAT MEANS PREPARE BUT NOT
PANIC.
AND IT'S TRUE, PEOPLE HEAR DEATH
AND THEY JUST GO CRAZY AND
THEY'RE NOT COMPARING IT TO THE
REGULAR FLU.
BUT IT IS TRUE ALSO THAT THIS
FLU IS UNPREDICTABLE AND COULD
MUTATE BUT HEY THEY GOT IT UNDER
CONTROL FOR ONCE.
THEY GOT THE STUFF READY,
THEY'RE GETTING READY SO JUST
DON'T PANIC.
>> Emily: SWINE IS MUCH
SCARIER THAN AVIAN.
>> THIS IS TRUE BUT THE
COMBINATION WITH THE SWINE AND
THE HUMAN TRANSMISSIONS.
THAT'S WHAT THAT'S ABOUT.
HAVE PEOPLE HYPED IT, YES THEY
HAVE BUT IT'S A NEED TO BE
CAUTIOUS.
>> WHEN THEY COME OUT AND ISSUE
A PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY AND
THE PRESIDENT COMES OUT AND
TALKS ABOUT POTENTIAL, PREPARE
FOR CLOSINGS AND THERE SHOULD BE
CAUSE FOR CONCERN BUT NOT ALARM.
THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
COMES OUT AND I WOULD LIKE TO
TAKE MY MEDICAL ADVICE FROM TALK
SHOW HOSTS AS COMPARED TO THE
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION BUT
I'M GOING TO DID HE EVER TO THEM
UNTIL WE SEE HOW THIS PLAYS OUT.
HOW CAN THEY BE ACCUSED OF
HIGHING THAT.
THE NEWS ITSELF IS SENSATIONAL.
I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU DELIVER A
FEDERAL HEALTH EMERGENCY IN A
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
WARNING ABOUT A PANDEMIC AND NOT
CREATE --
>> Emily: THEY COULD NOT WAIT
TO CONFIRM THE TWO LITTLE BOYS
HAD THE SWINE FLU.
THAT WAS THE WHOLE THING ABOUT
THE ORLANDO FLORIDA THING, THEY
COULDN'T WAIT TO CONFIRM.
>> I DON'T THINK PEOPLE COULD
WAIT TO FIND OUT WHETHER THEY
DID OR NOT.
>> JUST TO JUMP IN FOR A SECOND.
I UNDERSTAND WHY YOU GUYS DID
THIS SINCE YOU'RE A TABLOID --
>> DON'T BLAME US FOR THE
PANDEMIC.
>> NO, NO.
I MEAN IT'S BEEN ALL OVER
BOSTON.COM.
SO IT'S THE FIRST STUFF I HAD.
BUT YOU GUYS HAD KILLER FLU AT U
MASS.
IT'S ALL OVER BOSTON.
IT'S WHAT I LOOK FOR FIRST WHEN
I GO ON THE SITE.
I THINK THERE'S A TENSION HERE
BETWEEN WHAT'S IN THE MEDIA'S
BEST INTEREST AND WHAT'S IN
SOCIETY'S BEST INTEREST.
IF ALL OF US IN THE PRESS WERE
SAYING HERE'S WHAT THE W.H.O.
WAS SAYING, HERE'S THE STUFF
THAT THE VICE PRESIDENT IS
SAYING BUT PUT THESE NUMBERS IN
CONTEXT, 35,000 PEOPLE DIED OF
THE REGULAR FLU LAST YEARING WE
HAD ONE FATALITY FROM SOMEONE
WHO IS NOT FROM THE U.S. IN THE
U.S., THAT WOULD BE SOCIALLY
GOOD.
BUT THIS IS GREAT IN TERMS OF
GETTING A FEW PEOPLE TO PAY
ATTENTION.
AGAIN I SPEND TONS OF TIME ON
BOSTON.COM READING THIS STUFF.
SO THERE'S A TENSION HERE I
THINK.
>> Emily: LET'S GO BACK TO
THE JAY SEVERIN THING.
THAT ADDS TO THE HYPE BECAUSE IT
PLAYS TO SEVERAL LEVELS OF YEAR.
THEY HAVE ISSUES AROUND
IMMIGRATION OR THE POSSIBILITY
OF EVIL THINGS HAPPENING AS A
RESULT.
I AGREE WITH YOU.
THIS IS NOT -- I'VE HEARD IT
BEFORE, SO IT MUST MEAN THAT
THERE HAS BEEN SIMILAR TO THE
IMUS SITUATION, THERE WAS A
LEVEL AND A PRESSURE ON IT THAT
PEOPLE CALLED IN AND SEWED KAY,
DO YOU KNOW WHAT, I'VE HAD IT ON
THIS.
>> Emily: IT WAS A COUPLE
DOZEN E-MAILS OR PHONE CALLS.
>> ALL YOU NEED IS THE RIGHT
ONE.
>> WHEN YOUR RATINGS ARE VERY
HIGH YOU CAN GET AWAY FROM
SAYING A LOT MORE THAN YOU CAN
WHEN YOUR RATINGS ARE LOW.
WHEN YOUR RATINGS START TO LIP
AND YOUR SALARY'S TOO HIGH THAT
DELICATE BALANCE.
>> Emily: NOT SURE ABOUT THE
RATINGS.
THEY'VE GOT PEOPLE METERS