Research Proposal: Fueling the Fear-Mongering Media

*I will omit poll examinations from my research and will narrow the scope of me thesis, but other than that, this is my proposal*

Allie Boardman

Research Proposal: Fueling the Fear Mongering Media

Thesis: The explosion of interactive media- including social media, 24 hour news stations, citizen journalism, viral videos, and online newspapers- allows too many interpretations of events to be broadcast or published before checked for accuracy or credibility, and it therefore fuels the ability to accomplish fear mongering (or a Culture of Fear) a growing popular political tactic.

This paper will examine:

-A brief history of fear mongering as a political tactic in 20^th and 21^st century American politics

-Five examples of how fear mongering is being used to affect politics today:

-The attempt to slander President Obama’s image (accusations that he is a socialist, Muslim, etc)

-the reaction to the Arizona Immigration law

-the reaction to the proposal of  Islamic Community Center

-the reaction to a pastor of a 30-member church in Gainesville, FL threatening to burn 200 copies of the Quran on September 11^th, 2010.

-bi-partisan reactions to the struggling U.S. economy

Rationale:

Fear mongering and the manufacturing of a Culture of Fear have long had its place in politics and propaganda. In 20^th century America, fear mongering emerged in different ways each decade, from McCarthyism/ the Second Red Scare of the 1950s to the Lyndon B. Johnson “Daisy” commercial of 1964, to the re-escalation of the Cold War War in the early 1980s (the Soviet Union is an “evil empire,” said Reagan).

As the United States entered the 21^st century, fear mongering rose in politics once again to get citizens to support the War on Terror (an arguable loaded title in itself).

Ever since the 2008 presidential election, where interactive media played a large part in exposing all facets of the candidates and the issues, the internet and other new media outlets output so much information, some true, some skewed, that fear mongering has become a main tactic for politicians since it is so easy to blast an opinion out into cyberspace and have people receive it- 24 hour news stations, blogs, message boards, constantly-updated news sites- and there are few checks to ensure the messages are not biased because the information goes out so fast.

Fear mongering is no new tactic, but the tools that 21^st century fear mongers use are fresh and not fully understood. By exposing the specific tactics and through what interactive media tools politicians and commentators use to create a Culture of Fear in America and push moderate opinions behind in favor of radical notions, this paper will make audiences aware of how many ways they are being manipulated and will hopefully make audiences think twice before they instantly believe what they read, hear or see.

Methodology:

Most of my research will be literature and study based, especially in the section where I briefly summarize the history of fear mongering in America. I will also analyze content from different news sources, websites, blogs, message boards, etc. to compare and contrast how the same stories are manipulated in many different ways. Lastly, I will examine survey/poll results taken at different times during President Obama’s term so far to see if the public view changed in correlation with what conservative politicians and commentators were saying about President Obama at the time (the survey [August 2010] that reports 18% of Americans think Obama is Muslim, 34% say he is Christian, and 43% do not know what religion he is comes to mind).

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On the frenzy over the proposed Islamic Cultural Center in New York City:

“Fox [News] tells us, the terrible thing about this Kingdom Foundation is where they fund, and it’s a very bad guy. But they never mention this fella’s name. And they never show this fella’s picture. And they certainly never mention that the fellow that they’re talking about is part owner of their company.  Did the gang at Fox and friends genuinely not know the head of the Kingdom Foundation’s name, and the fact that he is one of their part-owners, or were they purposefully covering it up because it did not help their fear-driven narrative?”

-John Stuart, The Daily Show 8/23/2010

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