Simmer down. Yellowstone isn’t going to blow.
Last week, I couldn’t help but notice the flurry of articles that kept popping up about Yellowstone volcano. They were absolutely everywhere! Seriously. I almost stepped on one of the critters. A number of frantic stories were trending on social media and on popular news sites. I even saw one circulating again today. The gist? An impending eruption is just around the corner. Seriously, go to the grocery store this weekend.
Such stories tend to crop up once or twice a year and get everyone worked into a tizzy. On the one hand, yes, it is intriguing to ponder a future shaped by a megacolossal eruption. I’m sure it’s been fodder for some interesting sci-fi stories. But for reputable news organizations to paint a picture of imminent disaster without citing a single viable source is rather comical. What’s a little sad, however, is that so many people willingly dive onto the panic wagon without checking any facts or sources. And, with as easy as this trickery seems to have become, the media has once again succeeded in getting everyone stirred up that we’re going to be annihilated tomorrow. Simmer down. Yellowstone’s not going to go postal.