The original interpretation of media effects in communication theory was a "hypodermic needle" or "magic bullet" theory of the mass media. Early communication theorists [8, 9] imagined that a particular media message would be directly injected into the minds of media spectators. This theory of media effects, in which the mass media has a direct and rapid influence on everyday understanding, has been substantially revised. Contemporary media studies analyses how media consumers might only partially accept a particular media message [10] , how the media is shaped by dominant cultural norms [11, 12] and how media consumers resist dominant media messages [13, 14] . It follows that media effects may sway people into panic (eg swine flu), especially with a disease where scientific evidence is thin or nonexistent. Conversely, media may have little effect on seasonal diseases (eg regular influenza).