Fear Is A Gift, But…

We will soon be in that month long period of the November Sweeps. That’s when the news becomes even more sensational as they will do anything to make you watch a news show. Be ready for that out-of–control pandering to you fear. If you have no fear, don’t worry; they will do their best to make you afraid.

It’s still a month away but producers and reporters are busy dreaming up this crap to broadcast even when they should be sleeping.

Fear is the number one emotion exploited by the news media. They must think we’ve lost sight of the fact that we’re all going to die. If we live long enough we will get cancer or a host of other fatal ailments. That’s if we don’t die as a result of an accident or even a murder.

Do you want to create a national November news story? Just leave your lunch in a knapsack in a very public place. Stand by and watch the news media spend hours covering the bomb squad as they disarm that salami on rye sandwich and apple inside.

As the media covers health issues, terrorism, school shootings, bad spinach, bad lettuce, mad cow burgers, and fowl with the flu, our reporters never fail to find plenty of pathetic people to interview. They will ask them what they think about these hazards of life. The public’s answers are so conditioned. “It’s so scary!”--“It’s frightening!”--“I’m afraid for my children!”-- “We need new laws and help from the government!”

You never hear the sound bite where someone says, “I’m not worried, and I know how to take care of myself and my family."

What would we do without fear mongers in the media to remind us that we should stay in bed and never leave our homes? The explosion of non-stop 24-hour cable news has put every hazard of life under a microscope. Perhaps some day all the news directors will find something new.

Disclosure: I do freelance TV new producing and undoubtedly will be directly involved in this nefarious activity.