Back in the days when I ran television newsrooms for a living, we had a catch phrase we would use whenever the weather turned nasty.

After all, nothing generated an audience faster than the 3-D StormTracker Super-Doppler radar image of an approaching disaster.

There’s no question that all the Star Wars-level weather technology now available to local television stations helps save lives. But occasionally I would hear from an angry viewer that we were using all this digital techno-fury just so we could scare people.

Were we trying to scare people? No. We were educating them about real risk in real time with an easy to grasp visual presentation. If it was scary, it was because of Mother Nature, not us. We were just the messengers.

Nevertheless, we came up with a phrase we’d use when the Doppler drumbeat began to heat up. We’d make it a point to remind viewers that “we’re here to prepare you, not scare you.” Here’s the info, in other words. Do with it what you will. We figured you’d want to know if you’re about to get clobbered.

Nevertheless, it’s a fact that no matter how much restraint you use there are some people who will inevitably tend toward panic, whatever the potential threat.

Perhaps it’s no surprise. Many of us are financially and even spiritually invested in preparing for disaster scenarios. Those so inclined have stockpiled food, fuel, cash, and even bullets against a predicted and expected future moment when the you-know-what hits the fan.

One day it’s a tornado. The next, it’s coronavirus.

Personally, I think that responsible media outlets have behaved responsibly in reporting on the virus. But in the modern world there will inevitably be two sides to a story like this. First, the virus. Second, people’s reaction to it. And now the reaction to the coronavirus story has become a story in itself.

A few nights ago I was in Walmart, and couldn’t help noticing several empty shelves. You’d think it was some sort of Black Friday for toilet paper. The cleaning products were cleaned out.

For the record, I’d like to say that I applaud the idea of having a clean home. And goodness knows I’m all in favor of having a spare roll of toilet paper handy when the old roll suddenly runs out. But I can’t help but think that maybe some of us are overreacting, and that our overreaction is due in part to everyone else’s overreaction.

After all, when the news media starts covering stories about a sudden urge to fight coronavirus with toilet paper, I guess people will see the story and decide that (1) maybe these guys know something I don’t, and (2) if the shelves are about to be empty anyway, I’d better go out and grab what I can while there’s still something left to grab.

And so it goes. The media can be as reserved in its reporting as possible, but the reality is that the mere fact of its coverage will inevitably kindle at least a little of the herd hysteria it’s trying to avoid.

And now we’re watching this dynamic play out in real time. Responsible organizations provide information to the media. Responsible media gets the information to the public. And a portion of the public responds ... irresponsibly.

Some people react by going overboard: I’m thinking of all the empty toilet paper shelves. Others react by sticking their heads in the sand: I’m thinking of the president announcing Thursday morning on national television that he has a “hunch” that the World Health Organization is wrong in its latest assessment of the coronavirus mortality rate.

A “hunch?” Seriously?

Call me crazy, and some of you surely will, but if I have to pick who I trust more on the subject of worldwide medical risk assessment — serious and highly-trained doctors or a former real estate developer — I'm going with the doctors. But that’s just me.

Meanwhile, the responsible media will keep doing its job as responsibly as it knows how. We really are here to prepare you, not scare you. But we can’t control the fact that your results may vary.

Chris Huston is an author and award-winning columnist living in southern Idaho. Connect with Chris on both Facebook and Instagram at Chris Huston-Finding My Way and at chrishustonauthor.com.