Greta: Responsibility comes first in Ebola coverage

'Off the Record,' 10/3/14: On an issue like Ebola, the media must be responsible but not alarmist...so what is the best way to report on this?

By Greta Van Susteren

Let's all go "Off the Record" for a minute. Here is a challenge we face here on "On The Record" on any very serious issue. And there are many. We have to decide what report, how much and how.

Take, for instance, Ebola. It's here and it can kill you. In fact, the odds are overwhelmingly against you if you get Ebola. Ebola is contagious -- highly contagious and admit it, who wants to sit next to someone on a plane or a bus who has symptoms or is the health care worker at the emergency room who checks in the symptomatic person. So how should we report about Ebola?

On the one hand, we don't want to set off panic. That is irresponsible. But on the other hand, if we don't alert to you a real health crisis that can kill you, that is likewise irresponsible. Also, we want to keep up the pressure on a serious matter, so that our leaders don't put it on the back burner, and not give it the urgent attention it needs.

So the questions remain: How much, how should we do it, and how should we make those decisions? What should we consider?

So you tell me. You go to GretaWire.com and give me your best advice how we should make these decisions. That's my "Off the Record" comment tonight.