When the twin towers of the World Trade Center fell in 2001, I couldn't imagine any plausible news story that could have had more news coverage around the world. Perhaps my view was a bit USA-centric, for surely there were corners of the globe dealing with more important matters carrying more consequential local impact.
Then, in 2019, along came the Corona virus. There was no geographical escape from this news story; it was all Covid-19, all day long, for months on end, as the world grappled with a complex debate about how big a threat was actually at hand.
In comparison to today, those were cute little news stories. Today we know what serious, comprehensive coverage looks like. For a story to simultaneously command all channels of media and dominate all water-cooler dialogue, it must have important consequences that resonate throughout all societies. You know, something like this:
Kind of shocking to me how much play this story has gotten. I don't know about you all, but I am not taking my mistress to any Cold Play concerts...