Does the media play up Snowmageddon for clicks and viewers?
It's winter in Chicago. What that means is cold weather and snow. For those who have lived here for any length of time, it’s not a big thing. We're used to it. We don't like it, but we can deal with it.
This winter has been mild. We have yet to have any extreme temperatures. The snow has been almost non-existent—just a couple of dustings.
That is about to change! It's snowmageddon time—maybe! And with this comes the headlines that are meant to scare us:
“Chicago braces for the first ‘significant’ snowstorm of the season.”
and…
“Strong storm involving heavy snow possible for Chicago”
how about one more…
“Ferocious winds and snow likely.”
Those were the newspaper headlines. Television newscasts were even worse. Sunday night on a one-hour show there were four weather segments. Each one talked about the upcoming storm with a sense of dread, but not once did they mention the amount of snow that was expected. Plus, whenever the weatherperson turned it back to the news anchor, the response was a sigh.
All of this for what is expected to be in most areas one-to-three inches of snow. That’s right..ONE-TO-THREE.
So, what was the point of all this angst-inducting news? Could it be to get clicks and viewers? Naaa, that couldn’t possibly be it, could it? On the other hand, I guess you could ask the same thing about this article. Clicks and viewers? Me? HA!!!
I guess we’ll find out tomorrow if ‘snowmageddon’ has hit the Chicago area. Maybe I’ll be here to respond—that is if I’m not digging out of the one-to-three inches of the white stuff.
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