In an all too typical unskeptical report, Jim Kuhnhenn at the Associated Press, aka the Administration's Press, allowed President Barack Obama to claim, in Kuhnhenn's words, that "health and security experts continue to tell him that the screening measures already in place for travelers are more effective" than "restricting travel to the U.S. from the three Ebola-stricken West African nations."
I'm sure that readers would just love to know who these "health and security experts" are, especially given the fact that the AP itself reported Thursday that nations in Africa which have successfully kept the virus at bay have cited "border closings" as a critical element of their strategy.
Here's what that Thursday AP report, since revised slightly and time-stamped 7:15 a.m. Friday, had to say on the subject (bolds are mine):
AFRICA STEMS EBOLA VIA BORDER CLOSINGS, LUCK
Health officials battling the Ebola outbreak that has killed more than 4,500 people in West Africa have managed to limit its spread on the continent to five countries - and two of them appear to have snuffed out the disease.
The developments constitute a modest success in an otherwise bleak situation.
Officials credit tighter border controls, good patient-tracking and other medical practices, and just plain luck with keeping Ebola confined mostly to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea since the outbreak was first identified nearly seven months ago.
Senegal did so well in finding and isolating a man with Ebola who had slipped across the border from Guinea in August that the World Health Organization on Friday will declare the end of the disease in Senegal if no new cases surface.
... Nigeria had a head start compared with other West African countries: Officials were able to use an emergency command center that had been built by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to combat polio.
Border closings may also be helping halt the spread of Ebola.
Ivory Coast, Guinea-Bissau and Senegal, all of which share borders with at least one of the three most affected countries, have closed those borders.
Imagine that.
If it worked there, why wouldn't we put the the same steps in place here?
Why isn't anyone like Jim Kuhnhenn asking that question, or even citing contrary results reported by his own wire service?
From here, it would appear that political correctness is such an intimidating presence looming over all things that it overwhelms all common sense.
Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com.
