Fear

ISIS is an ever-growing threat in our world. We know that. It’s hard to miss when every few days, news comes out about another terrorist attack. So ignorance isn’t exactly a problem. The attack on Brussels came while many of our friends and fellow classmates were in neighboring countries, and their proximity left them at considerable risk. A lack of understanding of the severity isn’t the problem, either, nor is a lack of fear. However, what is a problem is when the media goes from reporting the news to deliberately instilling fear in readers. When we have fear forced on us, we can stop seeing the whole truth.

A British newspaper called The Independent put out an article on April 1st, which stated in its headline that Obama was calling an ISIS nuclear bomb a “serious threat”. Right from the headline, a reader gets both a credible source and an ominous message. Barack Obama has been leading our country for the past 8 years, and even those who disagree with his views are forced to put an immense amount of trust and faith in his work and his abilities. To have him speaking of a serious threat is grounds for some panic. The Independent even placed this information right in the headline, and while it does make for a very strong attention-grabber, the fear that is put in the reader before they even begin the article can skew the interpretation of the rest of the article.

Making matters worse, the writer then reminds the viewers several times throughout the article that if ISIS got its hands on a nuclear bomb, “they would certainly use it to kill as many people as possible”. That statement alone is enough to cause a major impact on worried Brits and Americans alike. The statement is again said by Obama, as well as by the British president, which gives the idea major credibility, and many viewers can not help but wonder if they could be included as one of the “as many people as possible”. Unfortunately, the article also finds some potential evidence to back up the instillation of fear. It states allegations that two of the Brussels attackers had put surveillance on the security guard of a British nuclear plant. For any reader that was previously on the fence about the validity of the article, the inclusion of potential proof is easily enough to plant a seed of fear in those readers’ minds as well. Lastly, The Independent utilizes the words of a fellow in nuclear science, yet another credible source with extensive knowledge on the source of the fear. She discusses precautionary measures that should be taken to prevent any potential threats to the security of our nations. When experts began coming up with ways to increase security, the general public very quickly panics, because credible, knowledgable people are admitting to a potential threat.

Admittedly, some fear is good. Fear exists to protect us from danger. However, when fear becomes great and irrational, logic goes out the door and we can become less able to protect ourselves. While The Independent does provide credible sources and some information to back up their claims, the way in which they use their knowledge is meant to instill panic in its readers. The problem with that is first, that the main reason for inducing that fear is to increase the audience viewing their paper. The second problem with that is the chaos that such fear can create. If newspapers continue to make the fear be the focus of their article instead of the potential solutions, the audiences will not see potential to step up and work to protect ourselves, but instead reason to panic and run away and give up all hope.