reporting on the reporters, not always safe of easy in the news business, but well done.

The author, Howard Kurtz, is credible and offers statements from other experts concerning both sides of how media is covering the swine flu "epidemic."

It was interesting to read a story about journalism and news coverage. I liked how the author went in depth about how the media can influence people's opinions and emotions on an issue.

This article is a good example of a journalist pointing out sometimes absurd journalistic tendencies, such as the trend to exaggerate the severity of a story through extensive coverage. There was quite a bit of references to what other people were saying about swine flu and its coverage. Kurtz maintained a sense of balance by mentioning more than once that swine flu could potentially be a danger, but emphasized the over-the-top coverage of what could possibly be just another strain of the flu.

Good sources with a good balance between description of the context and the delicacy of the scare-factor.

There were a lot of good sources used and differing opinions. Overall, the journalism was good.

With the amount of media coverage of the swine flu, it's hard to decipher what we actually need to know. News stations, newspapers, news websites, and blogs are all talking about it and it can get a bit overwhelming; Kurtz gives interesting insight to the coverage and how it affects our perception of the extent of the outbreak.

This article is certainly written well and it has a good amount of information and insight into this scary situation.

Yes--quality opinion and analysis shines a mirror at our reporting and lets people know that maybe we're out of control.

This offers an analysis of media behavior and decision, which is important for news consumers, who depend on the media for information. A reminder of the factors behind the media storm and that other, recent circumstances have had less-than-apocalyptic results puts swine flu in context and is an important community service.