There is a dangerous viral epidemic tearing through our country. While Ebola, a deadly disease brought over from West Africa by American health-care workers, has been headlining in the media recently, it is not the virus I’m referring to. Franklin Roosevelt had it right when he said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” The media has a habit of promoting panic while American society is most vulnerable to it. If Ebola did not exist, our society would find something else to be frightened of.

Which newspaper headline would you be more intrigued by- “Ebola in America!” or “We’re All Going to be Alright!”

It’s not Ebola that gets the ratings, it’s the idea that we are in danger. But in a nation that gets safer by the minute, we continue to worry. In a recent article by Vice, author Harry Cheadle explains that being scared of something we can’t control is only counterproductive. In my opinion, we each need to take a step away from what mass media is telling us and reassess the situation with all the facts and a realistic viewpoint.