Swine flu and you
PODCAST / Could a panic epidemic affect gay men?
Joseph Couture / National / Monday, November 02, 2009
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Could health officials try to lock the doors of the bathhouses, perhaps permanently, in the event of an H1N1 swine flu epidemic?
 
Listen to reporter Joseph Couture's investigation.
















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Reader Comments


 
News for people who can't read
Will it? Won't it? I'll never find out from this news article, because when I clicked on the link to read it, there's nothing here to read. This isn't You Tube, and I'm not interested in watching a video of Jason. If you have a story to report, post it so people can skim through it or read it in detail, their choice. A printed article includes names, places and other facts (hopefully spelled correctly), so that people can do further research if they're interested. If you must post a video for those who can't read, at least post the article and then have the video link available as a supplement to it.
Paul, Toronto ON
11/03/09 4:23 AM EST
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Oh, and...
If you're going to use a security panel to verify that posts made here are coming from a human (a practice I completely approve of), then make sure it does NOT use the letter "capital O" or the number "0 [zero]" as part of the code - there is NO way for a human to visually distinguish them! Oh, and sorry Joseph, not Jason!
Paul, Toronto ON
11/03/09 4:35 AM EST
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Great work!
I just wanted to say thanks for a great piece. Personally I like the audio format as I am MUCH more likely to listen to it than read a transcript of the same... A simplified version of it wouldn't have the depth that this format offers... A fascinating article... Many thanks!
Alan, Milton Keynes UK
11/03/09 6:29 AM EST
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Beginnings of panic -yes-but this angle is v weak
I agree that there is the beginnings of a panic about the vaccine availability (And about HiN1 in general)...But there is NO suggestion of closing bathouses in Toronto. And why bathhouses as opposed to schools, nighclubs or any gathering place first? I fear, alas, you are adding to the panic here and straining to get answers from interview subjects (many in the US which is irrelevant) which indicate however weakly the possibility of closing down bathouses. This is absurd and not good journalism, but more fit for a tabloid like the "Sun".
James Dubro, toronto Ontario
11/03/09 10:54 AM EST
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It's a big world, James
You obviously forget that there are people listening to this pod cast from all around the world, especially the United States. I doubt they think U.S. health policy is "irrelevant." The world is bigger than Toronto, James.
Joseph Couture, London Ont
11/03/09 12:01 PM EST
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Of course not
My friend James Dubro is right when he says there has been no suggestion bathhouses will be closed by this "pandemic" and people who listen to the piece will come away from it with that understanding. I suggested to Mr. Couture that the comparison between US and Canadian Public Health Policy is an apples and oranges thing. Mr. Couture replied that Xtra now has a global reach on the internet. Point taken. I do agree with Mr. Dubro that this piece adds to the panic, especially to those who don't listen but just read the intro. That is not specific to Xtra, the media are all equally guilty of turning this into a three ring circus. Remember SARS, Bird Flu? The media whipped up plenty of hysteria with lots of help from the WHO. This is a strain of the flu, not the Black Death. In the event of a pandemic like the 1918 outbreak, bathhouses in Toronto can and will work with Public Health. We have a strong partnership. Let's hope that when and IF the Black Death Pandemic actually does come we haven't tuned the media out altogether. Until that happens, wash your hands, cough into your sleeve, stay home if you're sick, get a flu shot when the government gets it together and this above all, relax.
Peter Bochove, Toronto Ontario
11/03/09 12:07 PM EST
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Panic not called for as you state yourself Joseph
I stand corrected . I really didn't know that xtra was now a US-oriented publication even though I frequently write for it.. Having just returned from a trip to Boston--where there are NO bathouses (now for over a decade) , we sometimes forget how lucky we are in Canada to have so many thriving ones across the country and in our major cities. What I was trying to say is what Peter says openly. Xtra shouldn't become part of the panic. There are no bathhouses threatened with closure in this country that we now of and trying to create anxiety in the LGBT community just isn't responsible journalism, though the podcast in the end says it isn't a problem. (I did note leading questions to interview subjects regarding bathhouses (as opposed to schools, meetings, dances etc...). Just a caution. We are all fair journalists, eh, and not part of a fear-mongering tabloid news outlet? Point made. BTW I think a podcast an innovative way to tell a story (almost like radio...).
james Dubro, toronto ontario
11/03/09 12:36 PM EST
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Who is at risk?
THis piece or the journalist, ignores the fact that children and expectant mothers are most at risk. There have been very few cases of N1H1 in the male adult population. To try to turn N1H1 into a gay issue before it has even really touched the adult male population is nothing but fear mongering and borders on sensationalist reporting.
dan wagner, chicago ill
11/03/09 3:49 PM EST
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A balanced pocast -- thinaks!
Thanks for a balanced podcast. As a former journalist and current public relations practioner, I can see both sides of the current H1N1 media coverage. On the one hand, there are helathcare organizations worldwide trying to gain mind share from the general public (straight, gay, bi, trans, whatever) about a pandemic that is worldwide in scope and entirely independent of sexual orientation or practices. On the other hand, there are international media outlets (print, broadcast, online) that are treating the issue in dramatically differnt ways. As a Canadian who has also lived in the U.S. and the U.K., I routinely get my news from a mix of countries. Some reports -- regardless of source or country of origin -- are better than others. It's really a matter of being informed. Balancing "panic" with informed "caution" and safeguarding yourself, as necessary (and available) is -- to me -- the best approach. Remember. H1N1 is merely the latest in a long line of serious public health concerns. Action on bathhouses is a very polarized issue in the grand scheme of things, but one that is interesting to ponder. Thanks again for adding an different perspective on this important issue.
David, Toronto ON
11/09/09 1:06 PM EST
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