murphdivers286:
LeFlaneur,
Do you think the coverage Discovery Channel is doing will hurt the diving community? [
I think divers, of all people, probably have a better handle on the statistics and can see through the hype.
As for potential divers who might be discouraged from diving, sure, shows like that probably add to an irrational fear. But if a few thousand people decide not to dive this year I don't think that is a great tragedy.
Rather, the tragedy as I see it is more general -- that we are choosing to promote fear over knowledge. That does a disservice to everyone, especially the wildlife. How do we foster a repect for nature when it is constantly presented as the enemy? To hear them tell it, the sea is full of bloodthirsty sharks who spend their days looking for people to bite.
I don't think a big downer story about how they're all endangered would really help much because people just shut that out. But a little repect for the creature, and for the ecosystem in which the creature lives, would be nice.
That said, Discovery and every other channel is in the business of giving the people what they want. Or rather... giving the poeple what they think the people think they want.