The flu pandemic amp is turned up to 5, because it's one louder

The WHO now says the swine flu outbreak has gone from a 4 to a 5, because...well, it's one louder.

Seriously, so far the flu situation has been a test for a lot of folks, but especially the American media, which needs to walk a tightrope between telling the public what it needs to know without sounding alarmist. So far, I'd give them...an F-minus. Today was a case in point -- the fact that there was a "U.S. death" from swine flu breathlessly led all the newscasts for hours, even after the critical fact was added that the unfortunate child who passed away was a Mexican who contracted the virus there and only came here seeking hospital treatment. Nothing is ever put in any kind of context. Just wait until the media learns that 36,000 Americans are killed by the flu...every year! They'll never cover anything else again.