Some 2,500 years ago, the philosopher Socrates said, as relayed through his pupil Plato, “I only know that I know nothing.”
Recent earthquakes – locally, regionally and globally – have not only rattled seafloors, bedrock and buildings, but also the nerves of millions living on or near the planet’s fragile fault lines.
Phuket has been no exception. When photos of jellyfish colonies off of Phi Phi last week begun to circulate on social media, doom speculation was rife – even if the phenomenon was normal for this time of year.
And as soothsayers in Thailand and abroad continued to add fuel to the fire of fear – predicting disaster in the weeks and months ahead – the Thai government responded by issuing a warning against scare-mongering.
After all, tourism is at stake and there has been a lot vested in promoting Thailand as the “Tourism Capital of Asia” and likewise, defending the kingdom’s safety record.
While we agree that publishers and other opinion leaders should be responsible within their respective spheres of influence, we don’t think fear – the threat of prosecution – is the most appropriate measure to prevent the spread of fear.
As the island’s leading newspaper, The Phuket News upholds its duty to report all news and trends that affect our growing community, and in doing so are always careful to distinguish clearly between “facts” and “opinions”.
That said, as part of a literate society, media consumers also have a duty – what scholars refer to as “media literacy”. Readers and audiences must be capable of distinguishing between facts and opinions, causation, correlations and coincidences.
Regarding earthquake predictions, “experts” disagree on many things, but one thing they usually agree on is that no one really knows when or where the next big one will hit.
(NOTE: Most Scientists do agree that certain areas such as Nepal will always be at high risk, see story here)
Indeed, it’s not a matter of “if”, but “when”. So while such disasters can not be predicted or prevented, steps can be taken to mitigate the effects, first through education and the establishment, review and upholding of clear emergency protocols and procedures to minimise the impacts of disaster when it does strike.
While the local government gave its reassurances that tsunami warning towers in Phuket are all in working order, many of the evacuation route signs are either lost or damaged, so clearly much closer attention needs to be paid to preparation..