Media Induced Fear and Anxiety - Georgetown University: Web ...

Generally, the term media is meant to include all means of mass communication
that facilitate the dissemination of information. The most popular media are film,
television, print, radio and the Internet. Whether they offer news segments about health,
politics, and current affairs, or entertainment pieces about recreational activities,
celebrities and fiction, millions of American consumers are exposed to their messages
on a daily basis. Media content dealing with news probably has the most potential for
invoking fear and anxiety because it purportedly offers fact-based information about the
world around us, and more often than not paints a pretty bleak picture of that world.
However, what constitutes “news” is increasingly more vague, and even entertainment
programs frequently incorporate current events into their dialogues. Thus, it becomes
harder for media consumers to distinguish what information is based on reality and
which information is speculation or an exaggerated, sensationalized version of the truth.
Although all media forms essentially relay information to the public, they all
have a unique quality and distinct characteristics that separate them from one another.
Print, the most traditional medium for communication, usually offers the most in-depth
reporting of events but is somewhat time sensitive. While newspapers can offer daily
accounts of news, and sometimes even a late second edition, they cannot provide the
most up-to-the minute reporting that radio, television and the Internet can produce. Print
media also requires a literate audience, and is limited to publishing still images and
photographs. Radio, on the other hand, can report events as they are happening and has
a basically unlimited group of potential listeners. It is also probably the cheapest and
easiest medium to access; people can listen to the radio in the car, while in the shower,
38