Creating Fear: News and the Construction of Crisis – David L. Altheide – 1997
Creating Fear: News and the Construction of Crisis
What the Book Explores
David L. Altheide’s Creating Fear examines how news media constructs and perpetuates a sense of crisis, even in the absence of objectively escalating threats. The author argues that the news doesn’t simply *report* on crises; it actively *creates* them through specific rhetorical strategies and framing techniques. These techniques include the use of exaggeration, simplification, novelty, and the invocation of moral panics. The book details how these processes function to maintain audience engagement and, importantly, to legitimize expansions of social control. Altheide focuses on the cyclical nature of ‘fear cycles,’ where media attention intensifies a perceived threat, leading to calls for action, followed by a decline in attention, and the eventual re-emergence of similar anxieties with a new focus.
Historical / Cultural Context
Published in 1997, Creating Fear arose from a growing body of critical media studies that challenged the notion of journalistic objectivity. It emerged during a period of increased public anxiety surrounding issues like crime, terrorism, and drug use—anxieties that were, Altheide argues, often amplified by news coverage. The book builds upon earlier work in the sociology of deviance and moral panics, notably the work of Stanley Cohen on ‘folk devils’ and moral entrepreneurs. It also anticipates later scholarship on the ‘attention economy’ and the ways in which media outlets compete for audience share by exploiting emotional responses. The post 9/11 era and the proliferation of 24/7 news cycles only serve to reinforce the relevance of Altheide’s observations. The rise of social media and its echo chambers presents a contemporary amplification of the processes he describes.
Who This Book Is For
This work is best suited for readers with an academic interest in media studies, sociology, communication, and cultural criticism. However, its accessible style and compelling examples make it valuable for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of how the news shapes public perceptions of risk and danger. It is beneficial for those interested in the psychology of belief and how social narratives impact individual and collective behavior. It offers a crucial lens through which to analyze contemporary news coverage and the narratives surrounding current events.
Further Reading
- Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media by Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky (1988): A foundational work in critical media studies, exploring the systemic biases within news reporting.
- Folk Devils and Moral Panics: The Creation of the Mods and Rockers by Stanley Cohen (1972): A classic study of how media coverage can contribute to the construction of moral panics.
- The Attention Merchants by Tim Wu (2016): Explores the historical competition for human attention and its implications for society.
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