The Martians Have Landed!: A History of Media-Driven Panics and Hoaxes

History is replete with examples of media-created scares and panics. This book presents more than three dozen studies of media scares from the 17th century to the 21st century, including hoaxes perpetrated via newspapers, radio, television and cyberspace. From the 1835 batmen on the Moon hoax to more recent bird flu scares and Hurricane Katrina myths, this book explores hoaxes that highlight the impact of the media on our lives and its tendency to sensationalize. Most of the hoaxes covered occurred in the United States, though incidents from Europe, Asia, Africa, South America and Australia are featured as well. Several are global in scope, revealing the power global media wields.

Table of Contents:
Table of Contents Preface      Section One : It Came from the Airwaves—Radio 1. The London Riot Hoax      2. Radio Daze—The Martian Invasion Broadcast      3. The Martians Return      4. Infamous Disc Jockey Hoaxes      5. Playing with Fire: Nuclear Scares      Section Two : It Came from the Small Screen—Television 6. “This Just In...” NBC Frightens Viewers      7. “Look! Up in the Sky!” Asteroid Panic      8. Pokémon Panics and Creepy Crawley Scares      9. The “Documentary” That Fooled England      10. Hurricane Katrina Mythmaking      11. Chicken Little and the Bird Flu Panic      12. The Russians Are Coming!      13. The Video Nasties Scare (Peter Hassall)      Section Three : It Came from Ink—Newspapers 14. The Batmen on the Moon Hoax      15. The Central Park Zoo Panic      16. The Halley’s Comet Scare of 1910      17. How the Press Created an Imaginary Terrorist      18. The Hook Hoax      19. The Ghost Slasher of Taiwan      20. The Phantom Clown Panic      Section Four : It Came from Cyberspace—The Internet 21. Chemtrails and Conspiracies      22. Morgellons: The First Internet Disease?      23. Katrina Evacuee Myths      24. The E-mail Virus Panic (Bill Ellis)      Section Five : It Came from a Friend of a Friend—Media-Spread Urban Legends 25. Urban Legends and the Media      26. The Curse of the Crying Boy (David Clarke)      27. Photos of the Gods (David Clarke)      Section Six : It Came from Everywhere 28. The Satanic Cult Scare      29. Halloween Panics      30. Stranger Danger and the Predator Next Door      31. The School Safety Panic      32. “Out of the Water!” Media Shark Frenzy      33. The Great Puerto Rican Chupacabra Panic      34. YouTube, Popcorn and the Killer Cell Phones      35. Someone Stole My Kidney! Organ Theft Scares      36. Killer Vaccines (Felicity Goodyear-Smith and Helen Petousis-Harris)      Notes      Bibliography      Index     

About the Author :
Robert E. Bartholomew has taught sociology in Australia at The Flinders University of South Australia and James Cook University in Queensland. A former broadcast journalist and contributor to news organizations such as the Associated Press and United Press International, he currently teaches at Botany College in Auckland, New Zealand. Benjamin Radford is deputy editor of the science magazine The Skeptical Inquirer. The author of a dozen books and numerous articles on urban legends, the paranormal, critical thinking, films, and media literacy. He has appeared on CNN, the History Channel, and the National Geographic Channel. He lives in Corrales, New Mexico.

Review :
“fascinating...ground breaking and unique...definitely a rare find and worthy of any conspiracy enthusiasts library or paranormal journeymen’s book shelf...recommend”—Examiner.com; “Bartholomew continues to reinvent the way in which these topics are presented and discussed. This makes a great reference for researchers and those following mass panics”—Fortean Times; “highly recommend[ed]...an important resource for any skeptic’s library and an entertaining read for anyone”—Skeptical Inquirer; “in this work Bartholomew and Radford, investigate the truth behind scares fueled either intentionally or accidentally by the media”—Reference & Research Book News.