Rather than egocentricity, isn't it really measuring skepticism? I would expect rubing is a skeptic.

I noticed on the only 'tabloid' news site I ever look at that swine flu stories are now 'below the masthead'. They've decided for the time being at least that the story is running out of legs.

While I would consider myself a skeptic too it did at least prompt me to go and get my flu shot.