[evgen]

That is not quite accurate. There was a war in progress at the time and news media was heavily censored. Spain was a neutral and did not censor their press. The Spanish press reported the early ravages of the illness while this news was censored in other countries; by the time it could no longer be hidden by the war powers it was already associated with Spain because that is where it was first reported. It was not about scapegoating or blame, just a consequence of how the public learned about the disease.

[bearcobra]

Somewhat off-topic: This reminds me of some compelling argument I've read about how the "Florida Man” meme is the result of Florida’s strong freedom of information laws. It’s interesting how the free flow of information/reporting can easily distort public perception when compared to places with more barriers.