how journalism can cause whiplash
Ah yes, there's nothing like a thoroughly mixed message to really confuse the crap out of paranoid, yet easily swayed, parents -- or, alternately, parents who have taken out massive life insurance policies on their children.
Excerpts from this latest example of award-winning, responsible journalism are provided in the order they appear within the article.
Summer fun can be deadly
Injury rates spike in the summer, but that's not an excuse to keep kids indoors
Chad Skelton, Vancouver Sun
Last weekend, two unconscious toddlers were pulled from a backyard swimming pool in Delta. One of them later died and the other remains in hospital. It was yet another reminder to parents that the annual summer break, while fun, also exposes their children to increased risk of injury and death.
...
Child safety experts say they don't want to alarm parents and that it's important for kids to get outside and be physically active.
But they say parents need to ensure that they, and their children, take the necessary steps to avoid serious injury and death.
...
Despite widespread concern over child safety, by most measures our children have never been safer. In the early 1970s, about 1,600 Canadian children a year died as a result of accidental injuries. Today, that figure is less than 300.
...
Less encouraging, both Pike and DiFilippo concede is [sic] that some of the drop may be simply due to our children living more sedentary lifestyles. While it may not be good for their long-term health or fitness, a teenager playing video games in the basement isn't very likely to sustain a life-threatening injury.
...
Saying that injury is the leading cause of death for Canadian children is accurate, though a bit misleading.
The reason injury is the No. 1 cause of death for children, but not older adults, is simply that children only very rarely die of anything else. Not many six year olds drop dead from a heart attack.
Happy summer, families!
Excerpts from this latest example of award-winning, responsible journalism are provided in the order they appear within the article.
Summer fun can be deadly
Injury rates spike in the summer, but that's not an excuse to keep kids indoors
Chad Skelton, Vancouver Sun
Last weekend, two unconscious toddlers were pulled from a backyard swimming pool in Delta. One of them later died and the other remains in hospital. It was yet another reminder to parents that the annual summer break, while fun, also exposes their children to increased risk of injury and death.
...
Child safety experts say they don't want to alarm parents and that it's important for kids to get outside and be physically active.
But they say parents need to ensure that they, and their children, take the necessary steps to avoid serious injury and death.
...
Despite widespread concern over child safety, by most measures our children have never been safer. In the early 1970s, about 1,600 Canadian children a year died as a result of accidental injuries. Today, that figure is less than 300.
...
Less encouraging, both Pike and DiFilippo concede is [sic] that some of the drop may be simply due to our children living more sedentary lifestyles. While it may not be good for their long-term health or fitness, a teenager playing video games in the basement isn't very likely to sustain a life-threatening injury.
...
Saying that injury is the leading cause of death for Canadian children is accurate, though a bit misleading.
The reason injury is the No. 1 cause of death for children, but not older adults, is simply that children only very rarely die of anything else. Not many six year olds drop dead from a heart attack.
Happy summer, families!