Week 3: “The Lens of Fear”

How, according to Altheide, does the mass media construct a discourse of fear?

Altheide suggests that fear is instilled through the context and time of our lives. I think that it is true that fear only objectifies if it is relatable to a personal level. Also, the stereotypes of fear that are conveyed in mass media become more buried into peoples’ heads through repetition. Fear defines an ever expanding array of news reports.

Altheide, D 2002, ‘The Lens of Fear’, in Creating Fear: News and the Construction of Crisis’, Aldine De Gruyter, New York, pp. 175-198.