Those of us in the media provide a valuable public service by warning people of things that could harm them. But sometimes we, er, overwarn. Remember the West Nile virus and all the stories in the local news about how scary things might get? Didn't exactly pan out, which would seem to require followups that the danger wasn't as great as forecast. But here's a story reporing the first death this year from the virus, a Minneapolis woman, in a year in which the disease has been exceedingly rare: only 15 cases so far. But the reporter just can't resist:
But the virus is showing up early this year. And as we enter the peak West Nile season, Tom Swedein, who planned to travel in his retirement, says: take the warnings seriously.
"It's devastating and people just don't realize it."
