“Foods you should avoid eating during the government shutdown, according to experts“ by Taylor Rock, The Daily Meal. (2019, January 14). From the Insider.

Summary

The recent government shutdown, starting 22 December 2018, is tied with the federal government not being able to pay themselves, and the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is included in this. Currently, the FDA is not able to communicate with the general public; this included communications such as food and drug recalls, a common action of the FDA throughout last year, 2018. Also, at this time, it is advised to only ingest food that has the ability to be cooked, specifically to 165ºF, to a bacteria-killing temperature. And to avoid ground and pre-packaged meats, leafy greens, broccoli, and cheese.

Author’s message

I believe Taylor Rock’s message, or intent, in this article is to shed light on how the government shutdown actually affecting the people: that the FDA is greatly needed and the fact that they are unable to communicate is a large issue.

My Connection

It is difficult to configure an exact reason as to why mass-mediated communication is a form of healthy communication within a society. When it comes to more hedonistic mass media, such as reality television or general entertainment, that is an entirely different conversation. When it comes to utilitarian mass-mediated, like the FDA or even cooking shows, these types of communications convey information that could be seen as useful or, in this case, gravely important. (Mass) communities having shared meaning is much larger than knowing the same language/symbols, it is knowing all of the same life-altering information. If there is a new drug that can cure thousands of people, if there is a new best and easiest way to cook beef––these are the services that inevitably change the way humans live their life.

Analysis

The news that there could be food-borne diseases sitting in grocery stores all across the United States affects nearly every individual who eats food ought to be the largest story, across all informative news formats. The FDA has been affected since the government shutdown, 22 December 2018, which is still in effect. The FDA is an important source of food-borne disease-related news, or at least as they recently made themselves to be recalling a number of foods last year. I am a human and that denotes that I require food, as do millions of people who are also being affected. Unfortunately, food recalls and government shutdowns are becoming a common occurrence in the United States. The overall message, that the FDA cannot currently tell me what I need to do in order to stay healthy, is important in the fact that I have to turn to either my own insticts or solely freshly cooked food.