Are we on the precipice of our second “Summer of the Shark” of the 21st century?
In 2001, Time announced the first such summer on its cover. Cable outlets devoted countless hours to the epidemic. People stayed in front of their TVs instead of going to the beach. There was just one problem: a few high-profile attacks that year did not mean we had entered a new era in which killer sharks patrolled beach waters, seeking lunch. A handful of attacks occurred one right after another, and the media declared a trend.
It’s not hard to see why. When Americans think they’re in danger, they try to find out more. The press, in turn, hypes the story in order to attract more eyeballs. It’s the same impulse that explains breathless stories like “Your Margarine Could Kill You!” And unlike margarine, sharks have teeth. You have a photogenic killer animal, a Menace From The Deep, going after imperiled teenagers. Won’t somebody think of the children? And the press responds, Yeah, we’re on it! Now stay tuned for our informative graphic on what you can do if attacked. No matter that there are hundreds of less sexy but more likely ways to meet your maker.
In the wake of two recent attacks, however, the media is getting a second chance to cover the sharks the way they should. And that means acknowledging that each new attack isn’t a sign of an epidemic, but is simply an isolated and unfortunate incident.
We’ve been watching CNN’s shark coverage, and we caught Miles O’Brien, who recently took over for Bill Hemmer on “American Morning,” doing it right. This morning, O’Brien interviewed shark behaviorist Erich Ritter, whom he asked this question: “Whenever something like this happens — we have two events like this — in a short order of time, we try to connect the dots. Should we be, or is this some kind of strange coincidence?” O’Brien knew the answer; he’d asked a similar question of another interviewee previously. But he asked anyway, and got a no-nonsense answer: “A strange coincidence.” Hallelujah.
But that’s one small glimmer of light in the forest primeval. It was CNN, after all, that televised the entirety of a 20-minute press conference on the shark attack yesterday. And then there’s the fact that, too often, O’Brien’s question isn’t getting asked. Around 10:15 this morning on “CNN Live Today,” Betty Nguyen started off strong, asking, “So is there increased reason to fear the water or is this merely a feeding frenzy by the media?” Alas, the network then segued to an interview with a shark expert, who didn’t even get asked the question the anchor opened with.
So, as the dog days of summer drag on, we here at CJR Shark Patrol World Headquarters will be watching to see if the networks can resist the urge to overhype the story as they did in 2001.
And we do have to admit we’re a little bit scared. But it’s not of the sharks.
–Brian Montopoli
Brian Montopoli is a writer at CJR Daily.