Source: Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting
by Julie Hollar & Jim Naureckas
“Corporate media may not have all the same goals as MAGA Republicans, but they share the same strategy: Fear works. Appeals to fear have an advantage over other kinds of messages in that they stimulate the deeper parts of our brains, those associated with fight-or-flight responses. Fear-based messages tend to circumvent our higher reasoning faculties and demand our attention, because evolution has taught our species to react strongly and quickly to things that are dangerous. It’s simply a fantasy (advanced repeatedly by Republicans) that Harris was running on identity politics, or as a radical progressive. This innate human tendency has long been noted by the media industry, resulting in the old press adage, ‘If it bleeds, it leads.’ Politicians, too, are aware of this brain hack — and no one relies on evoking fear more than once-and-future President Donald Trump.” (11/09/24)