Mt. Rainier Earthquakes: When the "News" Isn't News

Sometimes, I am quite amused at what passes off as newsworthy these days. I haven't really seen much in the major American news outlets about the eruption going on at El Hierro in the Canary Islands (Spanish), yet for some reasons there are multiple reports of a "spate of earthquakes" at Washington's Rainier. Now, I do understand that amongst the Cascade volcanoes, none strikes as much media frenzy fear as a potential eruption of Mt. Rainier, with its proximity to Tacoma and Seattle. However, why exactly these earthquake made the news is a little baffling to me. Here is what was reported: There were two earthquakes on the eastern side of Mt. Rainier over the weekend -- a M3.4 and M2.9. That is really about it. Yet, somehow, this is translated into headlines like "Wave of quakes occur around Mt. Rainier" and "Series of earthquakes rattle Mount Rainier Area" (along ...