ABC bird flu made-for-TV movie

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Nurses Month 2024 | Discounts & Freebies AORN Celebrates Nurses Month

I happened to see about 10 minutes of this trash tonight. What a bunch of sensationalist crap. It will be interesting to see the reaction(s) among the public, especially among lay people.

What really got me was that they were portraying the H5N1 almost as a hemorrhagic flu, at least in the few minutes I saw.

The media has such potential to educate and influence and instead all they wanted to do was to exploit the sensationalist nature of this potential public health problem to beef up ratings. I can see neurotic lay people (like my mother...LOL) getting really riled up by this type of programming.

Maybe I am judging unfairly because I only saw a few minutes, but I don't think so. Anyone else see any of it? any thoughts?

Specializes in Medical Progressive Care Unit.

absolute rubbish and a pathetic grab for money. Negative spew into the world!!! I heard one of the actors saying on the radio how the movie was done to raise awareness....yeah right... your just glad you got a job buddy!!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Almost everywhere.

Saw the blurbs advertising this one...knew from those alone I was NOT going to watch this one...too much Hollywood! :nono:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICF/MR, ER.

ABC blew it. Big time.

I remember when they showed "The Day After" in 1983 they at least had a program afterwards where the real likelihood of nuclear war was discussed.

But not anymore. It seems to me that modern US TV is designed to entertain (by any means necessary) more than inform.

For my part, the only things I watch on TV are "The Sopranos" and my own VHS and DVD collection (like "Doctor Who", for example, and lots of documentaries).

Broadcast television, as a whole, just doesn't do it for me.

lpnadmin

"eating his chicken tenders without fear"

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

Good thing I'm a nurse and NOT prone to panic.........otherwise, this movie would've scared the living daylights out of me.

The heck of it is, there's five zillion viewers who DON'T have my knowledge and skills, and a good portion of them are probably freaking out as we speak........I'd like to gang-slap the TV executives who came up with this sort of sensationalist garbage!!:trout:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I'm glad I am not alone. I am thinking about writing a letter to ABC. It will probably only get thrown in the trash, but at least will make me feel better.

I agree with Marla...the majority of the network-TV watching lay public just does not have the tools to assess such programming. If there were some sort of disclaimer provided, maybe, but I don't think that was presented.

However....if they have to throw thousands of letters in the trash from allnurses.com subscribers, then they might read at least a couple of them (HINT...HINT)

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Networks frequently do outrageous things during sweeps week to increase viewership. They are thrilled that there is such an outcry over the movie, it increases viewership everytime. You know the old saying, "no such thing as bad publicity". They are laughing all the way to the bank I am sure. In a strictly artistic sense, it is a really bad movie. Had it been about any other subject matter is would have passed unnoticed.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critical Care.

I don't know; it sounds good. I have it on my DVR and will probably get around to it in the next day or two. I'll have to let you know . . .

~faith,

Timothy.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I agree it was stupid to make the movie since it hasn't even happened yet BUT there is a disclaimer at the beginning of the movie saying it is FICTIONAL. Hello people, it's not real and they are not trying to portray it as real. There are better things to do in life than write complaint letters to ABC.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

my understanding is that it was such a wonderful movie for paranoid schizophrenics to watch! give them something more to worry about!

:doh:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I didn't watch it but I was at Barnes and Noble, in the Medical/Nursing section of course. There was a lady crying and carrying on, in a total panic, looking for books on the flu. She was absolutely terrified. Apparently the movie had something to do with Richmond Va and I live in Va Beach, she thinks that she is going to catch it.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Medical-Oncology.

Goodness gracious! Well, hopefully most of America was watching American Idol (like me!) instead of that garbage! ;-)

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I would imagine that the sale of chicken is down. Even before the movie was shown, I was in the office at my son's school--a mother called on the phone and told the principle that she did not want her child to eat chicken.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment