Olsen Welles 'War Of The Worlds'

Nearly one million people were affected by Olsen Welles’ broadcast of the War of the Worlds (Bryant, Jennings, et al.). The War of the Worlds broadcast constitutes the hypodermic needle approach given that during or immediately after the broadcast massive amounts of people were prompted to take action. The broadcast “injected” fear directly into the minds of the public creating a massive media effect seen within the streets of America. The fact that people attempted suicides, had heart attacks, and an exodus of residents was reported shows the stranglehold the media held on the passive public.
This radio broadcast affected so many people for one reason: fear. The second fear was incited into the listen they began to stop thinking of facts.