- Federal officials are recalling "more" peanut butter snacks. (This must be a follow-up)
- Some of these p-buttery snacks are Wal-Mart products. (Scandal)
- The recall is part of an investigation of a "nationwide" salmonella outbreak. (These dangerous cookies are giving people diarrhea across the country.)
- More than 470 are sick and six have died. (This PB snack attack is deadly)
Because the media is an important part of public health and safety campaigns, the writer clearly listed near the top of the article, in bullets, the specific brands and products affected by the recall. If you have been noshing on any sort of peanut butter cookies, I suggest you check out the article and make sure you aren't living in the salmonella danger-zone. Or better, take the FDA's advice and stay the hell away from all packaged products that contain peanut butter. Peanut butter alone is okay. Perhaps you could buy a package of non-PB cookies and spread on the peanut butter yourself.
Appropriately, The Oregonian writer did a much better job than I maintaining a serious tone in an article about dangerous peanut-butter snacks. The web-version also has hyperlinks to the FDA and the CDC so that readers can get a complete list of recalled products.
The salmonella outbreak provides a good analogy for investigative reporters. If all of the cookie companies rely on the same peanut butter source, they might all give people diarrhea. So, journalists, rely on diverse sources; create a unique product.
Grace! I had no idea when I wrote about the Plaid Pantry removing suspect snacks from its shelves (also from the Oregonian) that it was such a large and widespread issue in the J361 blogosphere. Like you, I found the writer's ability to maintain a dire tone in relation to a potentially comic subject rather remarkable. If it were me, I probably would have laughed hysterically while chomping down on my stockpile of pb-snacking supplies.
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