Fear and loathing as the main concern No. XI defines the choice between Harris and Trump

Over the last 12 years, the editorial teams at CBS and FOX have devoted so few reports to this main concern of their potential audience that it has remained below the perception threshold in the mass of 154,512 reports broadcast on CBS and the 245,044 reports broadcast on FOX during the same period in the main news on FOX. Media impact research puts this at 1.5%. With “9/11” almost a quarter of a century ago, terror had penetrated into the consciousness of Americans from one day to the next with such intensity that such one-time effects have long-term effects. At that time, the experience led to a focus on what unites people, which almost everyone perceived as positive. 23 years later, what divides us is gaining the upper hand – even if this is measured as the second main concern by PEW.

People can only react to something that they see, that is, perceive. What lies below this threshold of perception remains – if at all – in the subconscious. For the ancient Romans, terror was the epitome of fear and horror. More than 2,000 years ago, they already knew that terror acts on a large scale (state terror) as well as on a small. Without a minimum amount of official or unofficial support, terror cannot spread its fear and terror. This is where the media already plays a role (Beckmann, K. B., Dewenter, R., & Thomas, T. (2017). Can news draw blood? The impact of media coverage on the number and severity of terror attacks. Peace Economics, Peace Science and Public Policy, 23(1)).