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

Directly after the attacks, many suggested that the effects would stretch far
beyond those in the areas directly affected. A report by Afton Hassett and Leonard Sigal
suggested that the negative health effects would reach beyond direct survivors and
inhabitants of the New York City metropolitan and Washington, DC, areas and affect
Americans across the country. 3 Specifically, Hassett and Sigal anticipated that
extensive media coverage and the repeated exposure of television viewers to graphic
footage could vicariously traumatize even those geographically removed. According to
them, “These vivid images linger in conscious states, intrude on daily activities, and
permeate dreams. Further, the ongoing and poorly defined threat of imminent terrorism
ignites the fear at the core of human instincts for self-preservation.” 4 Some researchers
have gone so far as to assert that the long-term psychological ramifications of certain
attacks may be more damaging than any of the physical effects. For example, they
speculate that even if the short-term consequences of chemical or biological terrorism
are less than some of the apocalyptic scenarios currently being aired by the media, the
long-term disruptions may be worse than anticipated. 5 According to Scientific American,
the purpose of biological and chemical warfare is to wreak destruction via psychological
means by inducing fear, confusion and uncertainty in daily life. 6 In essence, terrorists
rely on the media to spread word of the attacks and show footage of the devastation they
caused. They also use the media to raise public consciousness of their existence and
their ability to strike anyone, anywhere at random. Although it is difficult to judge how
much acts of terrorism in general effect anxieties compared to the media images, I
attempt to show that the graphic images portrayed on the media, combined with the
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