Although the United States has been exposed to domestic and international terrorism over the last decade, such as the Oklahoma federal building bombing, the first car bomb attack on the World Trade Center, the embassies in Africa, and the Cole attack, is our nation truly prepared for the worst, for bio-terrorism? As the anthrax scare swept the nation, individuals questioned their safety, looking for answers in the wrong place: the news.

As the United States scrambled for information on

anthrax, families gathered around their televisions at home, des

perate for calming news about protection from this new threat. The people of America had no such luck. From large networks like CNN and ABC to local news, the anthrax scare was blown way out of proportion. People were frightened to open their mail, or even drink from the city's water supplies.

The truth about anthrax is that there is no real risk. Realistically thinking, one is more likely to be hit by a car than to inhale anthrax. The National Center for Statistics and Analysis states that in 2001 1,666,000 people between the ages of 16 and 20 were injured or mortally wounded in a car accident. CDC (Center for Disease Control) states that in 2001 there were 22 cases of anthrax inhalation, only resulting in 5 deaths. If one compares these statistics, the chances of contracting anthrax are slim to none. If news networks are going to report on a life-threatening issue, it might as well be the statistics of car fatalities and how to prevent irresponsible driving. But, of course, news networks wouldn't report on such issues, they want to air a story that will boost ratings and attract audiences (Atkinson 2).

All Americans want is respect, they want the media to realize that they are not pawns. The news networks uses the public to increase ratings and to segregate themselves from others. If the public realized that the news portrayed an unrealistic perception of anthrax, there would be no segregation of races and there would be no war against Iraq. As Wyatt said, "Sensational, irresponsible coverage of a massive anthrax outbreak, for example, would play into the hands of the bio-terrorists and lead to chaos in the streets of both big cities and small communities." Because of this, the public will become confused, terrified, and distrustful; concluding that no one knows how to deal with the crisis (Wyatt

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1235
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)