In the 1930s, war was on the horizon. The US had not yet entered what would be the Second World War, but Americans were concerned at the rising threat of Adolf Hitler in Europe. Hitler frequently made use of the mass media of his day-- mainly radio and film-- to spread his message and promote Nazi propaganda. American scholars and psychologists were concerned that the techniques he was using could be imitated by others, maybe even someone in the United States. There had been few studies of Mass Communication and media effects; this was because radio and movies-- or talking pictures, as they were then called-- were relatively new. Radio began to gain popularity in the period from 1920-1922, while silent movies were not replaced by talking pictures until the late 1920s. There seemed to be no urgency to study the effects of the media on the audience... until the rise of Hitler, and until another event-- the late October 1938 radio broadcast of "War of the Worlds."
Today, we know that much of what was written about the "War of the Worlds" broadcast was either a myth, inaccurately reported, or exaggerated. But it is a fact that many listeners who tuned into the Orson Welles' radio adaptation of an H.G. Wells Science Fiction story took it seriously. They thought the US was in fact being invaded by Martians. Some people panicked, some ran from their homes screaming in fear (a lot fewer people than were reported at the time, but still, some people were in fact fooled by how realistic the radio play sounded). This reinforced for a number of American scholars, psychologists, sociologists, and journalists that radio could persuade large numbers of people.
By the late 1930s, theories about the dangerous influence of movies and radio were being spread; radio took much of the criticism, since the Orson Welles broadcast was what had terrified so many people; there were even some newspapers calling for radio to be censored so that the public would never be fooled again (it should be noted that newspapers saw radio as competition for advertising dollars, and some of the anti-radio editorials were motivated more by a desire to see radio do poorly than by a desire to protect the public from misinformation). Of course, there was no proof that radio plays were dangerous-- many listeners were simply entertained and realized it was a Halloween stunt. But for some critics, radio (and to a lesser degree movies) needed to have limitations on it, so that some Hitler-figure couldn't use it to mislead the public. In the end, there was some censorship, but it was because of World War II, rather than because of the Orson Welles broadcast. However, as a result of the audience reaction to "War of the Worlds," more universities began studying the effects of the mass media. Some of the theories they came up with were not very accurate, but even today, whenever there is a problem in society, some people immediately want to blame it on the media, just as we saw in 1938.
The War of the Worlds radio broadcast, which caused panic in 1938 when listeners thought Martians were invading Earth, highlights the power of mass media and the influence of radio as a communication tool. It demonstrates how easily misinformation and fear can spread in times of crisis, reflecting the societal context of uncertainty and anxiety during the interwar period. The event also raised concerns about the responsibility of media in disseminating accurate information to the public.
it was never called world war though the broadcast did take place right before wwii and 20 years after wwi
By including interviews with officials such as the U.S. secretary of the interior.
War of the Worlds. The broadcast was given by Orson Welles.
To make the broadcast seem more credible. APEX
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Orson Welles' 1938 broadcast "War of the Worlds."
That Mercury Theater production aired on Halloween night, 1938.
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The victims of The War of the Worlds radio broadcast were primarily listeners who believed the fictional news broadcast reporting an alien invasion by Martians. Some panicked and some even fled their homes in fear. The incident highlighted the power of mass media and the potential impact of misinformation.
No, no one died during the radio broadcast of "War of the Worlds" by Orson Welles in 1938. Despite causing panic among some listeners who believed the fictional story was a real news broadcast, there were no reported deaths directly related to the radio show.
Well the first broadcast in the world was on Dec.24,1906.
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He could not believe that so many listeners had thought the events described in the broadcast were real.
H.G. Wells's War of the Worlds was dramatized in a radio broadcast by Orson Welles on October 30, 1938. The broadcast was so realiatic that it caused a major panic among the public who thought Martians were actually invading Earth.