Overdramatic newspaper headlines and misleading presentation of information to the public could lead to the eradication of multiple species on Earth, according to a local expert.
The warning comes from Chandler Finks, a tenured professor of sociology at Simon Fraser University. Finks, 55, claims that the kind of sensationalizing and “quote cherry-picking” that more and more media outlets are practicing can often “distort” the bigger picture and “could lead to problems” down the “line” — including the end of all life on this planet, assumedly.
“I think it’s interesting how some newspapers present the facts,” Finks wrote in an email response to The Peak’s inquires. “You never know when someone’s going to blow things out of proportion.”
While Finks failed to elaborate on what these aforementioned “things” are, we can assume that they will have an overwhelming impact on every one of Earth’s living organisms, including all plant life, animals, bacteria, and even humans. Elaborating further, if this trend of deliberately presenting “the facts” in a misleading way continues, Finks believes this will cause all of these entities to “blow” up and leave our planet devoid of life.
These and several other shocking words are just part of Finks’ 200-word email, which was leaked by The Peak last Thursday.
In the email, Finks’ main criticism of the media was focused on whether “newspapers” are doing enough to ensure that incorrect data doesn’t lead to mass panic or to the general realization that everyone one day will die, no matter how much you might try to deny or avoid any mention of it. Finks goes on to say that death is “inescapable” for humans, which is just stating the reality — but isn’t reality scary when you start actually thinking about it? The answer is yes.
For mankind, it would appear the writing’s already been on the wall for quite some time. In 2014, the Madagascan dwarf hippopotamus was declared officially extinct by International Union for Conservation of Nature. Back in 2011, the western black rhinoceros was also declared extinct, though no individual of the species had actually been recorded for five years.
While Finks does not specifically mention either of these animals in his email, they can be seen as prime examples of what is to come for the rest of Earth’s inhabitants if proper “proportion” is not maintained by media outlets.
As for when this seemingly unavoidable fate is likely to manifest, Finks is reluctant to say, but suggests that we might “never know.” In the meantime, the best humans can hope for is accurate reporting in the news and an end to media over-embellishing every single unimportant detail.
