You're right, it is sensationalized. They make the word "pandemic" sound ominous. "EVERYONE IS GOING TO DIE!" HIV is one of the deadliest viruses we've ever encountered. It is classified as a pandemic. But, some of that information is pertinent, and should be listened to. If this does become a pandemic, the time is now to make preparations and mitigate the effect it will have on your life.

As for the fear-mongering, there is a fine line between fear-mongering and providing information to help people plan. We don't know what is going to happen, but in the past, the last 3 pandemics have started with a very mild spring outbreak in the northern hemisphere. Yes, it's sensationalism, but this is just like the reporting before hurricanes in Florida. It's not meant for the people that are prepared, it is meant for those that don't have a clue. Unfortunately, they still don't listen to the media. In the NYC area (Queens specifically) the number of possible cases has increased, as well as confirmed. The local news was good enough to point out "these numbers represent under-reporting because most people stay home and treat it as the normal flu". Staying home and not going to the hospital make sense. They cannot stop it, and they'd like you to not spread it in the hospital.

One thing most places are not mentioning is having ready-to-eat food for a couple of weeks to a month. This isn't just good for the flu, it's good for long term power outages and other unforseen events (i.e. unemployment! ).