What Are You Afraid Of
How Media Lights the Fear Fire
Of course, news outlets stoke the fire of collective fear. “The media loves to tap into the fear response because it doesn’t engage with the rational mind. Scary headlines and disturbing images are captivating,” says sociologist Dr. Margee Kerr, whose book Scream: Adventures in the Upside of Fear comes out in October.
Adds Dr. Christopher Bader, a professor of sociology and the lead researcher of the Chapman University Survey on American Fears (see Fear This, Not That, page 5): “People often don’t realize that when they’re watching the news they’re watching the worst possible scenario. That’s why it’s news: A serial killer gets airtime because he’s rare, not because serial murders are on the rise.”
