The Fear Merchants
In these uncertain times, is it too much to ask that our news media stop terrorising the public for profit and clout?
Tag: mass hysteria
The Satanic Panic Is Alive And Well In Utah
The Mormon state takes a deep dive back into one of the more hysterical moral panics of the 1980s.
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Satan Wants You: The Story Of Michelle Remembers And The Birth Of The Satanic Panic
A new documentary exploring the origins and the ongoing effects of the biggest religious moral panic of the 1980s and beyond.
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The 1993 Horror Of Mind-Boggling Filth On Your Computer
A TV news report about X-rated downloads from the 1990s shows that the current hysteria is nothing new.
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Breaking News: It’s Not Often All That Important
The feeding frenzy of the headline-driven news cycle rarely informs us of anything we need to know and serves only to increase anxiety – let’s stop buying into it.
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Halloween Panic Catches Fire
From drugged candy to kids bursting into flame, this year’s Halloween moral panics are well underway.
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Uncanny Fears And The False Hysteria Of Coulrophobia
There’s a certain logic to most of our fears and phobias, no matter how irrational they might be. But clowns? Really?
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Politicians, Prohibitionists And Porn: A Bad Combination
Let’s not allow outrage at inappropriate workplace behaviour by an MP to further embolden the moralising opportunists.
Politicians, Prohibitionists And Porn: A Bad Combination Read More
Louise Woodward: The Making Of A Media Martyr
The conflicting evidence, lost facts, fervent nationalism and tabloid-driven hysteria surrounding one of the most notorious trials of the 1990s.
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Pandering To The Masses: The Hypocritical Fixation With Public Opinion
Why do people put so much time and effort into pretending that the opinions of the person on the street actually matter?
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This Year’s Halloween Costume Hysteria
The moral panic over the malign influence of Squid Game and the theoretical dangers of children wearing ‘dangerous’ fancy dress.
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The Mass Panic That Came To Tea
How the throwaway comments of a single campaigner led to hysterical press reports around the world.
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