Peddling Fear

I read the news today, oh boy
Four thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire
And though the holes were rather small
They had to count them all
And now they know how many holes it takes
To fill the Albert Hall
--The Beatles

Saw several headlines this morning stating that the US has moved to the top of the world list in total COVID-19 deaths. These headlines are misleading, of course, because they do not take into account population size.

When the 22,000 coronavirus deaths are compared to the US population of about 330 million, then US death rates are among the lowest in the developed world. Moreover, COVID mortality rates in the US remain below those of the typical flu season.

None of this matters to mainstream media. They remain focused on their specialty: peddling fear.