Morale Panic Radio

What is morale panic? “Moral panic is a metaphor which depicts a complex society as a single person who experiences sudden groundless fear about its virtue” Sarah Thornton (1994. 184-191)

• TV• Radio• Newspaper• Magazines • Social media

How it can be influenced

MORAL PANIC DEBATE• Chas Critcher argues “I n m o r a l p a n i c s , s u p p o r t f r o m t h e p u b l i c i s b o n u s , n o t a n e c e s s i t y. I n a n y c a s e , i t c a n b e c o n s t r u c t e d b y t h e m e d i a ” ( 2013 92-93)

Whereas David Miller and Jenny Kitzinger disgreed“It is never very clear who is doing the panicking. Is the media ,the government ,or who? One reason for this lack of clarity is between the media and the state, between the media and public belief and between the state and other social institutions and groups are dissolved” ( 1998:216 )

Cohens Five Stages of Moral Panic• Something or someone is defined as a threat to values or interests • The threat is then depicted in an easily recognizable form by the media • When there is massive rapid build-up of public concern • When there is a response from authorities or opinion makers • The panic recedes or results in social changes and new laws will be

implemented (2002 5-30.)

War of the worlds

• Broadcasts on 30th October 1938• Orson Wells Directed and narrated • There was no ad breaks adding to the realism • Story told as real news bulletin.• An ordinary play which challenged the

boundaries of radio and listenership to the core.

Aftermath of Broadcast • A wave of hysteria happened from 8:15pm and 9:30pm as

thousands of listeners were gripped to the radio. As people believed there was an alien invasion.

• Radio perception changed as people felt they were misguided despite 4 intervals reminding them it was a play by H.G Wells not real events happening.

Hadley Cantril on Moral Panic• Theorist Hadley Cantril conducted research into media effects and

psychology which would continue to have importance today. He found out that the reason why people were engrossed , getting caught up listening to War of the World’s programme was because

“ A panic occurs when some highly cherished ,rather commonly accepted value is threatened and when no certain elimination of the threat is in sight“ • (( 1940 9-10.)

REGULATORS

• Federal Communications Commission are the regulation body who regulates interstate and international communications which include radio, television, satellite and cable in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories.

(What We Do | FCC.gov. 2014)

Federal Communications Commission

“This rule prohibits broadcast licensees or permittees from broadcasting false information concerning a crime or a catastrophe if: (1) the licensee knows this information is false; (2) it is foreseeable that broadcast of the information will cause substantial public harm; and (3) broadcast of the information does in fact directly cause substantial public harm.Any programming accompanied by a disclaimer will be presumed not to pose foreseeable harm if the disclaimer clearly characterizes the program as a fiction and is presented in a way that is reasonable under the circumstances. “ ( HOAXES 2014)

Summary• In my conclusion my view is that since “morale panic” arose in the 1930s

much has changed in regards to how the radio industry operates through preventing such outrage and hysteria.

• However, the dominance and outrage of the radio has changed in regards to what happened in the 1930s where people were dependent on this medium for the news . Whereas today in modern times we have more mediums and interest.

• This does not mean that there isn't morale panic in radio today as there have been many occasions recently when presenters have crossed the line when making entertainment programmes. .

Refferences • EB - BROADCAST - HOAXES . 2014. EB - BROADCAST - HOAXES . [ONLINE] Available at:

http://transition.fcc.gov/eb/broadcast/hoaxes.html. [Accessed 5 February 2014].

• Cantril ,Hadley (1940 ). The Invasion From Mars: A Study In The Psychology Of Panic. New Jersey-: Transaction Publishers,. 9-10.

• Cohen,S (2002). olk Devils and Moral Panics: The Creation of the Mods and Rockers. East Sussex: Psychology Press. 5-30.

• Miller David (1998). The Circuit of Mass Communication. London: Sage. 216.

• Petley Julian , Critcher Chas, Hughes Jason, Rohloff Amanda (2013 ). Moral Panics in the Contemporary World. London: Bloomsbury . 92-93

• Ross Andrew, Rose Tricia (1994). Microphone Fiends: Youth Music & Youth Culture. London: Psychology Press. 184-191.

• What We Do | FCC.gov. 2014. What We Do | FCC.gov. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.fcc.gov/what-we-do. [Accessed 09 February 2014].