Recently, the newspapers have reported a "peanut butter salmonella outbreak." When I was eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich at lunch, my friend told me, "stop eating that right now! You could get salmonella!" I was curious how big this outbreak really was, so I did some research. One article said that the only types of peanut butter containing salmonella were King Nut and Parnell's pride brands. Even more specifically, the exact jars of peanut butter containing salmonella were "distributed only through food service providers in Ohio, Michigan, North Dakota, Minnesota, Arizona, Idaho, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Florida. The peanut butter was not sold directly to consumers." The article also says that the FDA ran tests and it is still unclear whether or not the salmonella cases came directly from peanut butter, because there is a possibility of cross-contamination from another source.
After doing my research, I realized that dramatic headlines like "Huge Salmonella Outbreak" are very hyperbolic. They are grossly exaggerating an issue that is actually very small. Six people died from peanut butter salmonella, which is sad, but certainly not enough to be considered an "outbreak." I think the news should not use such grossly exaggerated headlines, especially not when it comes to health issues, because it makes people overreact and panic. The contaminated peanut butter was not even distrubuted to Illinois, yet I heard numerous conversations at school about how people should avoid all brands of peanut butter.
The hyperbole is a good literary tool, but it must be used in the right context. Mark Twain used it very well to provide satire in "Huckleberry Finn." However, hyperboles should not be used in non-fiction works, like the news, because it can stir up innaccurate gossip. People rely on the news to provide them with facts about current issues. In this case, a hyperbole misinformed people about a current health issue and made them panic for no reason. The news should provide us with the important facts and not use hyperboles to try to make it seem more interesting or exciting.
