I first noticed the photo on March 3rd, when Fox 45 Baltimore ran a story about 7 Marylanders being tested for Coronavirus. I thought it was a bit excessive to have someone on a stretcher in an isolation chamber while wearing hazmat suits, just in order to test for the presence of the virus.
About a month later I see the exact same photo in another Fox 45 article. Only this time the photo is labeled as a "file photo". While it's not uncommon for news organizations to re-use some of their own photos for future stories, this photo just stuck out to me as odd, so I started digging.
Through a reverse image search, I discovered that the photo was commonly being linked to South Korea on multiple news sites.
Digging deeper, I started finding the image, or a video including this image, being used in multiple locations all across the country. Click each image to be taken to the corresponding article.
Most ironic of all these images is the KRON4's usage of "Facts Not Fear" while playing a video clearly designed to make you afraid.
A closer examination of this video shows that this scene with two workers in hazmat suits and a patient in an isolation chamber isn't even in the US, but most likely South Korea, based upon the writing on the glass doors.
During a time where people are relying on news media to keep them informed of current events, I find it absolutely shameful that news media organizations are including such fearful videos of patients in isolation chambers and men in hazmat suits, when having the audacity to label the videos as "Facts Not Fear".
News organizations must do better if people are to believe them. With re-use of videos and images designed to make people afraid, is it any wonder some people are calling COVID-19 a complete hoax? Don't get me wrong, I absolutely believe COVID-19 is a serious threat which should not be taken lightly. However, I also believe a greater threat is news media taking advantage of our fears just to get higher ratings. We should not be making people think their local hospitals are filled with isolation chambers and people in hazmat suits. We should not be making people live in fear.
News media, I challenge you to do better.
Ken is a Cyber Security professional with over 10 years experience. He has written multiple books, including "Death by Identity Theft" and his latest book "Hacking of the Free". All opinions expressed in this post are his own, and do not reflect the opinions of his employer or clients.
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