War of the Worlds

Media Factsheet

Read Media Factsheet #176: CSP Radio - War of the Worlds. You'll need your Greenford Google login to download it. Then answer the following questions:

1) What is the history and narrative behind War of the Worlds?

War of The World was a novel written by H.G. Wells about Martian extraterrestrial life forms invading earth. This was seen as pointing towards British imperialism and the Victorian fear of prejudice. It was adapted by Orson Welles as a radio broadcast story which listeners thought was real, causing great panic.

2) When was it first broadcast and what is the popular myth regarding the reaction from the audience?

First broadcasted on October 30th 1938 - there was a popular myth that thousands of New Yorkers panicked and fled their homes and that people had gathered outdoors to witness this conflict.

3) How did the New York Times report the reaction the next day?

Reported a headline with "Radio Listeners in Panic, Taking War Drama as Fact". They suggested that there was a 'wave of mass hysteria'. But it was later found out that the events suggested in the Newspaper were over exaggerated.

4) How did author Brad Schwartz describe the the broadcast and its reaction?

Brad Schwartz suggested that the hysteria caused wasn't all a myth but something ahead of its time. It showed how the people were frightened in those times shows the relationship people had with the media. It also showed us how the Newspapers changed these reactions to make it seem much worse than it did. 

5) Why did Orson Welles use hybrid genres and pastiche and what effect might it have had on the audience?

He brought in radio key conventions and blended them in with the Victorian era novel, which helped create the effect it did, bringing in the pastiche element.  The hybrid genres of blending in the conventional storytelling with modern radio form created the blur between fiction and real.

6) How did world events in 1938 affect the way audiences interpreted the show?

• In Sept. 1938, Hitler had signed the Munich agreement which annexed portions of Czechoslovakia, creating the 'Sudetenland'. 
• Europe had failed to prevent war with Germany, which meant war was inevitable.
• Radio Networks had been interrupting broadcasts to give news about the situations in Europe.

7) Which company broadcast War of the Worlds in 1938?

CBS Radio Network.

8) Why might the newspaper industry have deliberately exaggerated the response to the broadcast?

Newspapers saw the new medium of Radio as a threat as they were taking all their audiences and money away, so Newspapers tried to bring their audiences by pointing faults at radio

9) Does War of the Worlds provide evidence to support the Frankfurt School's Hypodermic Needle theory?

Yes, as audiences believed War of The Worlds thinking a true invasion was taking place, due to what the current social, cultural and political contexts which was leading up to world war 2. They didn't question what they were hearing but passively took in the story.

10) How might Gerbner's cultivation theory be applied to the broadcast?

Gerbner suggested that audiences who had high frequency viewing of TV were more likely to believe events created by TV as they seemed to be more accurate to them. In this case, radio was being listened to a lot by audiences and they were used to having many interruptions as they were being brought news from Europe due to the ongoing conflict leading to world war 2. Welles War of the Worlds had many of these similar interruptions leading people to believe what the story was saying was true.

11) Applying Hall's Reception Theory, what could be the preferred and oppositional readings of the original broadcast?

Preferred: Welles and the other producers wanted to offer a form of diversion (Blumler and Katz: Uses and gratifications theory) and give something new to the world of radio as it was still was a new medium, so experimented new things. 

Oppositional: Welles and the other producers were pranksters who wanted to terrify the public, deliberately telling them a horror styled novel in such a time of conflict. They were radio terrorists who wanted to abuse the new medium and knew that they would get such a reaction.

12) Do media products still retain the ability to fool audiences as it is suggested War of the Worlds did in 1938? Has the digital media landscape changed this?

In my opinion, I think that it is much harder to fool audiences as War of the Worlds did. This is because you can get information from various of different platforms, such as social media platforms, TV and radio which allow news and information to spread faster compared to what they had in 1938 when War of the Worlds was broadcasted. Therefore if some false news was to be published somewhere, you could go on another platform or even message someone who might know lives in that area where something might be occurring to find out if it is true. 

Analysis and opinion

1) Why do you think the 1938 broadcast of War of the Worlds has become such a significant moment in media history?

It is one of the biggest and most known cases of the influence the media has on the audiences.

2) War of the Worlds feels like a 1938 version of 'fake news'. But which is the greater example of fake news - Orson Welles's use of radio conventions to create realism or the newspapers exaggerating the audience reaction to discredit radio?

The newspapers exaggerating the reaction of the audiences if more fake, as they stated false evidence, overemphasised on the events that took place, just to make radio look bad whereas Orson Welles had stated before and at the end of the broadcast that this was only a fictional show and not real events.

3) Do you agree with the Frankfurt School's Hypodermic Needle theory? If not, was there a point in history audiences were more susceptible to believing anything they saw or heard in the media?

I agree with the Frankfurt School's Hypodermic Needle model theory as audience do passively accept what the media says without questioning what they are consuming as they believe that this is true. I think that there was a point where people believed things much more in what the media says than what they do now as there was less technological advancements. 

4) Has the digital media age made the Hypodermic Needle model more or less relevant? Why?

I think the digital media has made the Hypodermic Needle model less relevant as if the media was to make and spread fake news people could verify and confirm this by going onto other media platforms and also asking other people.

5) Do you agree with George Gerbner's Cultivation theory - that suggests exposure to the media has a gradual but significant effect on audience's views and beliefs? Give examples to support your argument.

I do agree with Gerbner's Cultivation theory as people do passively believe what the see in the media without questioning and do act in certain ways as a result due to having to much exposure to the media then being fully absorbed and believing everything that is in the media. Propaganda could be a form of cultivation theory as media producers will tell bias or misleading information on political situations causing some passive audiences to believe this e.g. in WW2 German propaganda took place making the British and Allied armies as cowards or as the villains and making themselves look good.

6) Is Gerbner's Cultivation theory more or less valid today than it would have been in 1938? Why?

I think that Gerbner's cultivation theory is less valid as majority of the audiences can tell what they are viewing is fake and if they are unsure they can find out from other media mediums, therefoe they are less susceptible to the media and what they view.

Extension task: Media Magazine article on War of the Worlds

Read this excellent article on War of the Worlds in Media Magazine. You can find it in our Media Magazine archive - issue 69, page 10. Answer the following questions:

1) What reasons are provided for why the audience may have been scared by the broadcast in 1938? 

The broadcast used key conventions of a news report such as flash news bulletins, expert interviews, vox pops and set it in New Jersey.

2) How did newspapers present the story? 

The news papers presented the story as a hoax suggesting the radio presenters had malicious intentions and that radio was a sinister medium.

3) How does the article describe the rise of radio? 

Radio was introduced in the 1920's and people were scared that radio would kill off ither main media products as radio brought them music, news and was far more accessible compared to other media products. It was much more advanced as there were voices and so news would be able to spread quickly.

4) What does the article say about regulation of radio in the 1930s? 

Radio was unregulated and was therefore feared due to the youth. Hitler's rise was partly due to radio so people were scared about other influencers out there.

5) How does the article apply media theories to the WOTW? Give examples.

• Bandura's Bobo Doll study - characters in the broadcast panicked and fled and so the real public who listened and believed this story done the same.
• Gerbner's cultivation theory - the broadcast had followed certain conventions of a real radio broadcast and so thought that this was true. This is due to the repetition in media.
• Hall's reception theory - some people accepted that this was a show and that it was all for entertainment, some may have strongly opposed that this was an act of stupidity and that Welles and the other producers shouldn't have done this, labeling them as radio terrorists. Some may have understood the entertainment purpose of it but also understood that perhaps the timing was wrong due to the current context leading to WW2.

6) Look at the box on page 13 of real newspaper headlines. Pick out two and write them here - you could use these in an exam answer.

• 'Radio Play Terrifies Nation; Hysteria Grips Folks Listening In Late'
• 'Radio Terror Bring Panic in All Areas; People Lose All Control'