War of the Worlds: Blog Tasks :)

Media Factsheet

Read Media Factsheet #176: CSP Radio - War of the Worlds. You'll need your Greenford Google login to download it. Then answer the following questions:

1) What is the history and narrative behind War of the Worlds?

The history and narrative behind War of the Worlds is that it is one of Orson Welles' radio plays and it tells the story of an alien invasion and the ensuing conflict between mankind and an extra-terrestrial race from Mars 

2) When was it first broadcast and what is the popular myth regarding the reaction from the audience?

War of the Worlds was first broadcast live on 30th October 1938. The popular myth regarding the reaction from the audience was that thousands of New Yorkers fled their homes in panic, and all across America people crowded the streets to witness for themselves the real space battle between earth and the Martians. The Trenton Police Department received over 2000 calls in less than two hours, while the New York Times switchboard received 875 calls from concerned listeners wanting to know where they would be safe

3) How did the New York Times report the reaction the next day?

The New York Times reported the reaction the next day as a 'wave of mass hysteria' using the headline, “Radio Listeners in Panic, Taking War Drama as Fact” 

4) How did author Brad Schwartz describe the the broadcast and its reaction?

Author Brad Schwartz described the broadcast and its reaction highlights the role the news media can have in distorting the truth and even creating moral panic. Schwartz suggests that the hysteria it caused was not entirely a myth. “Instead it was something decades ahead of its time: history’s first viral-media phenomenon”. He argues that “the stories of those whom the show frightened offer a fascinating window onto how users engage with media content, spreading and reinterpreting it to suit their own world views. It’s even more important to understand how the press magnified and distorted those reactions, creating a story that terrified the nation all over again, so that we can recognise when the same thing happens today 

5) Why did Orson Welles use hybrid genres and pastiche and what effect might it have had on the audience?

Orson Welles used hybrid genres and pastiche to create real moments of shock and awe, which almost certainly account for the strong reaction it received and to blur the boundaries between fact and fiction in a way that audiences had never experienced which could have added to their confusion

6) How did world events in 1938 affect the way audiences interpreted the show?

World events in 1938 affected the way audiences interpreted the show particularly as one month prior to the broadcast in September 1938, Hitler signed the Munich Agreement which left audiences with concern and for many it seemed that another world war was inevitable. At this time, both the radio networks, including CBS, frequently interrupted programmes to issue news bulletins with updates on the situation in Europe which caused audiences to become familiar with such interruptions and were more accepting of Welles’ faux newscasts at the beginning of the play 

7) Which company broadcast War of the Worlds in 1938?

War of the Worlds was broadcast by the CBS Radio network in 1938 

8) Why might the newspaper industry have deliberately exaggerated the response to the broadcast?

The newspaper industry might have deliberately exaggerated the response to the broadcast as a means of sabotaging this new medium which it viewed as a huge threat so the papers seized the opportunity presented by Welles’s programme, perhaps to discredit radio as a source of news. The newspaper industry sensationalised the panic to prove to advertisers, and regulators, that radio management was irresponsible and not to be trusted 

9) Does War of the Worlds provide evidence to support the Frankfurt School's Hypodermic Needle theory?

War of the Worlds provides plenty of evidence to support the Frankfurt School's Hypodermic Needle Model if the response was anything like the media reported. This is because it fully exemplifies how an audience can be passive and practically listen to everything that they're told without taking a moment to think for themselves and ponder over whether it's actually true or not 

10) How might Gerbner's cultivation theory be applied to the broadcast?

Gerbner's Cultivation theory could also be applied to the broadcast as audiences were used to the frequent interruptions to the radio after Europe's failure to appease Germany which put people on edge. It is as a result of this frequent exposure that audiences were perhaps more prone to believe that this radio play was real as they were already used to such interruptions taking place regarding updates on the situation 

11) Applying Hall's Reception Theory, what could be the preferred and oppositional readings of the original broadcast?

Applying Hall's Reception Theory, I think that the preferred reading of the original broadcast was for it to just be taken as a form of entertainment for audiences wondering what next would happen following the attack of the Martians but not so much as to take it seriously. The oppositional reading seems to be the much more prominent reading taken away from the broadcast which is that it caused public unrest and deceived audiences into believing that they were truly in danger and people were being killed by Martians a view taken especially by the New York Times and their report 

Analysis and opinion

1) Why do you think the 1938 broadcast of War of the Worlds has become such a significant moment in media history?

The 1938 broadcast of War of the Worlds has become such a significant moment in media history as radio was still a relatively new medium and for it to have affected audiences on such a large scale (according to how it was reported) it truly exemplified the potential of the media in influencing audiences into believing that something as absurd as Martians invading and killing people 

2) War of the Worlds feels like a 1938 version of 'fake news'. But which is the greater example of fake news - Orson Welles's use of radio conventions to create realism or the newspapers exaggerating the audience reaction to discredit radio?

War of the Worlds feels like a 1938 version of 'fake news' but I believe that the newspapers exaggerating the audience's reaction to discredit radio is a greater example of fake news than Orson Welles's use of radio conventions to create realism. Orson Welles's intention was to entertain audiences and while he did intentionally make it seem realistic he did constantly inform audiences that the radio play was fictional which settled audiences. However, the newspaper's intention was to influence its reader's opinions on radio as a medium by extending and manipulating the truth in a way that benefitted them without ever clarifying if this over-exaggeration was true or not 

3) Do you agree with the Frankfurt School's Hypodermic Needle theory? If not, was there a point in history audiences were more susceptible to believing anything they saw or heard in the media?

I wholeheartedly agree that the Frankfurt School's Hypodermic Needle Theory was reinforced by the further development of the media that the audience became more susceptible to believing passively 

4) Has the digital media age made the Hypodermic Needle model more or less relevant? Why?

The digital media age has made the Hypodermic Needle Model more relevant today in some aspects and less relevant in others. The Hypodermic Needle Model has become less relevant in that audiences have become more sceptical of certain stories as we are aware of fake news and unreliable sources. However, certain social media platforms are proof that the Hypodermic Needle Model may be more relevant than we think because it is likely that some people are more likely to believe something if many others also appear to believe it 

5) Do you agree with George Gerbner's Cultivation theory - that suggests exposure to the media has a gradual but significant effect on audience's views and beliefs? Give examples to support your argument.

I agree with Gerbner's Cultivation theory due to the belief that frequent exposure to fake news results in pessimistic views of the world which is known as Mean World Syndrome 

6) Is Gerbner's Cultivation theory more or less valid today than it would have been in 1938? Why?

I believe that Gerbner's Cultivation theory is more valid today than it would have been in 1938 because of our increased exposure to opinion influences. In 1938, sources would have been limited but social media now has an impact on people's beliefs