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Do you think the media should post the number of coronavirus infections each day?

20 Comments

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The numbers posted mean different things to different individuals. Some might be scared reading them, some ignore them, others have any number of different reactions depending on their individual beliefs and mood at the moment.

I think the free, for-profit media should be allowed to print whatever they want. Let countries that allow a free, for-profit press have their legal systems and markets decide what's acceptable to post.

In countries where the state controls, or 'partially' controls media, outlets will just do whatever their authorities tell them to do.

8 ( +9 / -1 )

They should be published but only if they are correct, in the correct context with regards to number of tests and guidance on the circumstances that cause rises or declines.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

Only when they provide the complete numbers including the number tested, which today they 'somehow' forgot to do as their numbers showed a large decline in positive cases...

3 ( +3 / -0 )

They can post or not post, whatever. But if they do post figures, they have a duty of care to be accurate and unbiased. That seems to be severely lacking, including on this website.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

Twice a day , because the data summary switches with GMT, and also a weekly / monthly summary would be good, so that anybody still denying can see the still exponentially rising numbers.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

agree with robert

3 ( +3 / -0 )

No, at least not on the daily headline. Daily numbers especially confirmed cases are also volatile if not manipulative due to technicality. It's futile to swing feelings between hope and despair everyday (over temporary info).

Better publish it on the sideline section if still needed. The number of 3-7 day rolling average would be more helpful to grasp a pattern.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

raw numbers are not that informative and have led to fear and misunderstanding in the public and a rush to be seen to be doing something from the authorities.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

yes. that's what charts and graphs are for. You have a 7 day rolling average and a 14 day one. Since we know there's a lag in case occurrences.

This isn't actually hard

5 ( +5 / -0 )

yes, post them but highlight the meaning of the numbers and don't just cherry pick these stats, show the entire picture. How many total new cases, how many new deaths, recoveries, how many recovered, include them equally. I've always noticed that media not just in japan, tend to focus on the cumulative number of cases, why not focus more on the active number of cases?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

No. It just creates mass hysteria and fear. But that’s the idea I guess... if they posted the death rates only, and that’s people who actually died “from” covid 19, there’d be a lot less hysteria, maybe none at all.

-3 ( +4 / -7 )

foreignbrotherhoodarmyToday  04:05 pm JST

No. It just creates mass hysteria and fear. But that’s the idea I guess... if they posted the death rates only, and that’s people who actually died “from” covid 19, there’d be a lot less hysteria, maybe none at all.

You're right. But that wouldn't have the desired effect.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

The information posters are asking for has been available for months on the Covid Dashboard:

https://ncov2019.live/

The Covid-19 Japan site covers hospitals by prefecture:

https://www.stopcovid19.jp/
1 ( +1 / -0 )

Post the numbers, verified, of course.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

At the moment, world media have been swarmed by Covid reports and news, often repetitive, every day. Readers get bored, and the news lose their significance.

One would think they should be reduced to twice a week.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

It doesn't matter. Nobody cares, and nothing changes in Japan. It's just business as normal here.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

Yes but only if shown as a percentage of the number tested. Needs both figures to put it in context, else it is meaningless.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Sure, the daily updates here on JT are fine, simply reporting the numbers (with links to the raw data).

But most other articles here seem rather deceptive and meant to scare people.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Yes as long as it is done efficiently. The purpose is to inform people of the situation so that they can see how thing are going or not.

For example, if there is no case or close to in a country, acknowledging it along with showing that the number are reliable (number of suspect cases found and tested, criteria for suspect cases, ...). As long as no significant change or need to increase-maintain carefulness in people, having it on the side of the news should be fine.

For the specific situation of Japan : as pointed before the day to day system meet trouble since it does not match the testing range. Already said before, the 3 days gap is an average. So it will be better to have the day number then having these put on 7 days range to have it more accurately match the testing number. Example :

Today N cases were reported.

For the period of P-7 to P, this bring the total of cases to : V. They should be the result of T tests realized from P-8 to P-1.*

> *An average of 3 days in between a test and its report exist, for higher accuracy, we choose to put a 1 day gap but we acknowledge that will not show a perfectly accurate picture.

Other number can be added like bed occupancy and so on. In the event of wanting to point an area : the headline should focus on the more significant area be it as getting bad, getting good, staying good, staying bad, ... not just it being Tokyo. The reliability of the number should also be stated. For example, the death number on JT are not reliable (example : yesterday, line missing in JT ; NHK : 21 deaths) so you should change your pattern to provide them. It is important to provide them, since if not people will believe or fake believing there were no death. But just putting them at some point make just a big part of the real one disappear as you do not use a 24hours gap (see my previous post on the subject). One easy solution could be you report the number for the previous day. As example, in today article you change the line about the number of death to :

"Yesterday, according to NHK, 21 coronavirus-related deaths were reported.*

> * for higher accuracy, we will now report the previous day coronavirus-related deaths"

After a few day, you can just drop the * part since JT user will get used to it.

My 2 cents

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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