We are all aware that the media, to some extent, causes viewers to fear things that aren't even worthy of being feared. The media uses many tactics to lure viewers into staying tuned into the show.
Here are some examples of the to be aware of:
1. "Officials are worried about possible attacks on..."- Meaning, there have been no such attacks as of yet.
2. "Possible..."- It's probably not happening yet.
3. "Our nation's..."- Water supply, roadways etc., This is used to imply something large scale to a story.
4. "Officials are closely monitoring.."- Meaning, something bad is probably coming and maybe these officials will be on duty when it does.
5. "An alarming 15%..."- Don't think of 15% as alarming, think of the other 85% as good news.
These are only five of many examples that Gavin de Becker gives at his website. If you want to read more, check out the rest of Becker's media tactics and familiarize yourself with how the media gets our attention.
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2 comments:
This is interesting. Thanks for linking to that site. I'd be interested in knowing how successful these tactics are. Do you know of any research statistics?
Those are some interesting observations. You start to hear phrases and words like that so often in the media that you don't really give them a second thought. The "alarming 15%" is a perfect example of the kind of statistical manipulation I see all over the news all the time.
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