Ebola: Fear the Fear
not the Virus
Recent weeks have seen the proliferation of fear messaging
about the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). The inconsistent messaging that has been
targeted at the citizenry of the United Stated and Ohio residents in particular
is nothing more than shameful. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the White
House, and the media at large have unwittingly or perhaps purposefully created
ambiguous messages about EVD that have led to wide spread panic and paralysis.
Keeping children home from school out of fear of contracting EVD, servers in
restaurants wearing gloves so as not to come in contact with a potential
infected person are but a few futile behaviors that develop as a result of such
ineffective messaging. Why are we engaging in fear control messages when we
should be sending messages designed not only to educate the public but also
have them engage in proactive behaviors that serve to mitigate any perceived or
real threat? Messages resulting in fear control paralyze publics and have no
value as to actually addressing any given threat. Further, fear control
messages result in wide-spread hysteria and panic that could threaten public
safety. Such irresponsible messaging is not limited to the CDC, White House,
and media outlets. If we are to truly take risk and crisis messaging seriously,
we need to engage in message creation designed to control danger or danger
control messages. Being told by government officials that “they are on it” or
“there is nothing to worry about” do little for public safety. These types of
messages fuel uncertainty and speculation. Instead, danger control messages
advocate not only a realistic degree of susceptibility to the threat but also
advocates behaviors that people can engage in to mitigate their susceptibility
to the risk. Messages that are designed to educate and advocate are ALWAYS more
favorable and effective than messages designed to threaten, perpetuate fear,
and do not advocate any proactive behavior on the part of the public. I hope
that after the Ebola Virus Disease hype dies down and the media moves on to
their next “if it bleeds it leads” story, all of us reflect on how the spread
of ineffective fear messages was so much more far reaching than EVD ever was.
It is in the realm of health communication, risk communication, and crisis
communication where effective messages can be created, disseminated, and
assessed. The containment of Ebola Virus Disease is indeed an entity best
addressed by healthcare personnel. The messaging about Ebola Virus Disease is
indeed and entity best addressed by communication professionals.
Theodore A. Avtgis, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair
Department of Communication
Studies
