Let’s start with a disclaimer, so that I don’t get in trouble. Stereotyping countries is bad. Bad, bad, bad.

Ok, glad that we’ve got that out of the way. Now let’s stereotype some countries. Today’s winners are the USA, and the UK. Today’s topic: Ebola.

As you can see in the video above, comedian Russell Howard recently had a whole lot of fun splicing together excerpts from TV news in the two countries, as newsreaders, reporters, and everyday people attempt to get their heads around the prospect of Ebola entering their communities. On one hand, there was a very shrill, terrified American media, and on the other there was a very dour, unflustered UK media doing its best to avoid emotion of any sort.

Of course the excerpts are skewed so that it’s funny... young Russell’s livelihood relies on his ability to induce lols, but it’s definitely interesting to check out the drastic contrast in reporting styles that are possible when dealing with something like a deadly virus. You can either get hysterical, or play a part in keeping a lid on things.

As we’ve mentioned in other pieces on Global Citizen, Ebola is unlikely to ravage countries with sophisticated health systems and extensive resources (such as the US and the UK), but it continues to pose a major problem in West Africa, where there remains a shortage of trained experts, infrastructure, and community education. In these conditions, viruses like Ebola can indeed get out of hand and cause a lot of suffering.

So, if you’re in the US or the UK, be grateful that you are! And feel free to have a laugh at the expense of newsreaders who totally don’t get it.