The shark is one of media’s most reliable monsters. Every year, newspapers, magazines, and television news shows leap to every shark sighting and shark attack report. And, why not? One of their primary roles is to produce ratings and sell magazines for their companies. The vision of a “man-eating” shark never fails to grab attention.

 

A quick look at the Discovery Channel Shark Week 2007 series clearly demonstrates how dramatic titles are used: “Ocean of Fear: The Worst Shark Attack Ever”, “Deadly Stripes”, “Shark Feeding Frenzy”, “Perfect Predators”, and “Top Five Eaten Alive.”  These titles do not provide a balanced view of the world of sharks, but they sure do maximize tune-in. In contrast, 20 years ago during the first Shark Week, there were friendlier, but less motivating titles such as, “The Shark Takes a Siesta” and “Sharks of a Different Color.”

 

Time Magazine declared 2001 the “Summer of the Shark.”  The media frenzy began when a bull shark bit the arm off an 8-yr old boy playing in the waters off Pensacola, Florida. Thereafter, any encounter with a shark, no matter how insignificant, made prime time news. 

 

The reality is that in 2001 and all years there are relatively few shark attacks and fatalities when compared to virtually any other kind of accident. The shark made it to the cover of Time magazine not because sharks are a real problem, but because it was a slow-news summer.

 

Peter Benchley, the author of “Jaws,” the novel which became the Steven Spielberg Hollywood film production that fueled the general public’s irrational fear of sharks, once said, “We don't just fear our predators, we are transfixed by them.  In a deeply tribal way, we love our monsters.”

 

The truth of shark attacks is reported elsewhere on Shark Savers. There are a small handful of shark attack fatalities in the world each year. Only 10 out of the 500 species of sharks have been implicated in incidents with humans. (see Myth – Shark attacks are common).

But, these facts can’t compete with money. Or our morbid sense of thrill.  “Sharks have been big box office forever,” said Benchley. “They're an automatic.”

Unfortunately, sharks are being wiped out by other big-money—the shark fin industry.  We don’t yet see public outcry to save the sharks, perhaps because the media-created image of sharks makes it difficult for many people to understand why sharks are worth saving.