There's also a definite "too real" effect that separates a vague far-out threat like climate change from a real imminent one like pandemic. I noticed this with coverage of MERS when it was developing.
When mitigation efforts work or dangerous diseases fizzle, as with SARS and MERS, people blame the media for telling them about the risks as they existed at the time. Then they're not ready when one is real.
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MERS is devastatingly fatal and when a new disease appears that's basically all we know, how quickly and efficiently it can kill. It takes longer to learn how quickly and efficiently it will spread. A rational response may have had us social distancing for that one too.
End of conversation
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