This morning, reports from Russia indicated that plague deaths are up 100% this week. Russia denies it, so the number of dead may still only be one.
Listing the rise in deaths as a percentage increase rather than a number is a little trick I learned from the media. Nothing brings in the views like anger and fear. “if it bleeds, it leads” is second only to the first commandment of modern journalism: “never let facts get in the way of a good story.”
Facts Schmacts
Earlier this week, reports out of Russia stated that 28-year-old Daria Shipilova, who worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia and the Far East, died “of suspected plague in Siberia.”
Russian authorities claim she died “from pneumonia of an as-yet-unestablished origin.” What’s more, “she was vaccinated and therefore ‘immune to the dangerous infections with which she worked.’ Also, it probably came from a local wet market.
Just kidding, Russians are white, so it isn’t racist to think the disease came from the local infectious disease lab. She worked in an infectious disease lab and was vaccinated against the plague but skipped her flu shot?
All kidding aside, you’ll be forgiven if you don’t find this slightly alarming. After all, the plague killed roughly 30% to 60% of the European population between 1347 and 1353 and, in the process, earned the pleasant little moniker: The Black Death.
As we all know, no one has died from the plague in almost 700 years, so we can understand why the press is all over this story.
Except that’s not quite true.
During the broader second half of the 20th century (from the mid-1950s onward), there have been more than 85,000 cases of the plague resulting in roughly 7,000 total deaths across 38 countries. These are only the officially reported numbers; the real number is likely higher.
Here’s another interesting fact: Not one media outlet reporting on the plague story has provided this info.
Why?
If It Bleeds, It Leads
Well, truth, accuracy, facts- call it what you wish- get in the way. The goal is to sell newspapers, not reliably inform the public. Did 1 more person die of the plague this week or are deaths up 100%?
Which sounds scarier?
Is there a risk of another global pandemic, but this time the disease has a 60% mortality rate? Or do about 200 people die from the plague each year, and this is barely worthy of notice?
Trick question. The press is actually reporting that “pneumonic plague’s mortality rate is almost 100 percent if untreated.”
The media: “I have lies of omission and lies of commission. Which will get you to read the article?”
Believe Nothing You Hear And Half Of What You See
Normally I turn to Canada’s CTV when I want a really stupid take. Here’s a recent one.
However, CTV is only the industry standard for stupidity. There’s more than enough to go around. I’ve lost track of how many times the world was going to end. Or maybe it wasn’t going to end, but it was going to kill millions. Or maybe not millions, but there was definitely a good reason to feel anxious and maybe lock yourself in your house. Double masking while driving alone in your car was the least you could do.
Give Me The Good News
Ok, here it is: only 33% of Americans trust the media.
I suppose that could also be bad news since I think the number ought to be much closer to zero. Don’t ask me what happened in 2026 that caused the number to rise.
You’re Going To Die
I hope this doesn’t come as a shock. Let me add one qualifier to that statement: someday. If the press has you worried about the Plague, let me ease your fears a little. You will probably die from old age as this table shows.
Your lifetime odds of dying in a car accident are greater than those of COVID. Either way, double masking while driving alone isn’t going to prevent either.
You are more likely to be murdered by your spouse than to die from the Plague or Ebola. My advice? Don’t start hoarding toilet paper just yet.
Also, maybe buy your wife some flowers from time to time and lower those murder odds a bit. Just make sure you check the bouquet closely. You don’t want to die from a bee sting, do you?
About the Author
Phil is a freelance writer, Canadian Navy veteran, and classical liberal. He has lived and worked in both Canada and the United States and currently resides in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he writes on politics, individual rights, free speech, and whatever else catches his fancy.
📰 Hoist the Black Flag — politics, rights, and free speech
😄 Schrödinger’s Chicken — because sometimes you just need to laugh
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The news is not news, never has been.
It is narratives/entertainment used to sell advertising space and subscriptions, and now social media revenue from engagement.