Amid crippling woes, perspective is lost

Excellent op-ed on perspective

Perspective gives us the ability to accurately contrast the large with the small, and the important with the less important. Without it we are lost in a world where all ideas, news, and information look the same. We cannot differentiate, we cannot prioritize, and we cannot make good choices. 

With their access to historical records, experts, and a network of information gatherers at the source, news and media outlets should be in an ideal position to help provide us with perspective. The experience with the Japanese earthquake and tsunami demonstrates this is not the case. In a crisis situation where perspective is of greatest value, the public has been poorly served by media that appear unable or unwilling to provide it. 

The events at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear facility triggered by the March 11 earthquake constitute the second-worst civilian nuclear plant incident ever — far more significant in scope than Three Mile Island. But it pales in comparison to the devastation, loss, and human suffering caused by the earthquake and subsequent tsunami. Few would draw this conclusion from the coverage in the nation’s newspapers and cable news, which for the past two weeks seemed obsessed with the words “radiation,’’ “evacuation,’’ and “meltdown.’’ 

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When individuals lose perspective, they make poor choices about their personal lives, safety, or finances. When the mass media lose perspective, it’s another matter altogether. We are left with public policy driven by emotion and misperception, which costs us all in terms of time, effort, money, and lives.