War of the Worlds: Blog tasks

 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?

The History and narrative behind War of the Worlds is that it first started out as a science-fiction book by HG Wells which was first published in 1898 which then later turned into a radio adaptation by Orson Welles in 1938 (Not related, two different people). It tells the story of an alien invasion and the ensuing conflict between mankind and an extra-terrestrial race from Mars. 

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

War of the Worlds by Orson Welles was first broadcast live on radio on 30th October 1938. The reason why War of the Worlds did remarkably well is because of the popular myth that thousands of New Yorkers fled their homes in panic, and all across America people crowded the streets to witness for themselves the real space battle between earth and the Martians. But this all never happened as this was a cleverly done ruse even though before Orson Welles announced that there was going to be this invasion he says in the very opening of the radio programme that "this is all fictional" which no one picked up on. 

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

The New York Times reported the reaction of the people the next day by making it a headline news story “Radio Listeners in Panic, Taking War Drama as Fact.” This then inside the newspaper began talking about the amount of and devastation it caused around in New York and New Jersey saying that "more than twenty families rushed out of their houses with wet handkerchiefs and towels over their faces to flee from what they believed was to be a gas raid."

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

Brad Schwartz describes the broadcast and its reaction in his 2015 book ‘Broadcast Hysteria: Orson Welles’s War of the Worlds and the Art of Fake News’ suggests that hysteria it caused was not entirely a myth. “Instead it was something decades ahead of its time: history’s first viral-media phenomenon.” He argues that “the stories of those whom the show frightened offer a fascinating window onto how users engage with media content, spreading and reinterpreting it to suit their own world views. But it’s even more important to understand how the press magnified and distorted those reactions, creating a story that terrified the nation all over again.

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

Orson Welles used pastiche to make his broadcast sound more interesting by borrowing the conventions of the radio newscast, he is able to create real moments of shock and awe, which almost certainly account for the strong reaction it received. By creating a hybrid form – mixing conventional storytelling with news conventions – Welles blurred the boundaries between fact and fiction in a way that audiences had never experienced.

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

World events in 1938 was that the world was on edge as Germany was about to invade Europe and do a gas attack to cause another world war. In the weeks leading up to the 1983 broadcast, American radio stations had increasingly cut into programmes to bring news updates from Europe on the chances of war. This meant Welle's use of radio news conventions had more of an impact on listeners who were unaware that it was a fictional radio play. 

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

CBS radio station company were the ones who broadcast War of the Worlds in 1938. 

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

The newspaper indutry might have deliberately exaggerated the response to the broadcast as radio  had siphoned off advertising revenue from print during the Depression, badly damaging the newspaper

industry. So, the papers seized the opportunity presented by Welles’s programme, perhaps to discredit radio as a source of news. The newspaper industry sensationalised the panic to prove to advertisers, and regulators, that radio management was irresponsible and not to be trusted.”

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

War of the Worlds provides evidence to support the Frankfurt School's Hypodermic Needle theory as this theory states that audiences consume and respond to media texts in an unquestioning way, believing what they read, see or hear. This might be true of the audiences of the 1930s, unfamiliar with new media forms like radio, but in the modern age it carries less weight. It is questionable as to how far most of the audience were actually duped by the broadcast. As has been noted, those who ‘bought into’ the idea of an invasion, may well have been influenced by external factors such as the social and political context of the time. It was not impossible to believe that a foreign power was invading American soil in 1938.

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

Gerbner's cultivation theory can be applied to the broadcast as based on his research into television viewing, cultivation theory states that high frequency viewers of television are more susceptible to media messages and the belief that they are real. Heavy viewers of TV are thought to be ‘cultivating’ attitudes that seem to believe that the world created by television is an accurate depiction of the real world. Applied to War of the Worlds it could be argued that an audience familiar with the frequent interruptions to radio shows over the weeks leading up to the broadcast did not question the faux invasion broadcasts during Welles’ production.

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

Stuart Hall’s Reception Theory is useful when considering how the audience for War of the Worlds interpreted the text (as either fact or fiction). He argues that audiences might read a media text in different ways. The dominant or preferred reading by the audience is the one intended by the creator of the text. However, a person might read it in an oppositional way depending upon factors such as their age, gender or background. For example, a young male is likely to ‘read’ page three of The Sun as a bit of harmless fun (the preferred reading), whereas a female might regard it as offensive. Hall also suggests that readings of a media text might be negotiated. This is an acceptance of the preferred reading but modified in a way that reflects the audience’s own position, experiences and interests.

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?

Media products do have the ability to fool people still today even in the digital age. This is because of such examples like the film "The Blair Witch Project" which left numerous people fooled into believing that the legend was real. However this may not be the same effect for all people as since we live in a more modern and advanced society today we have numerous different ways to access content so when it came to the blair witch movie their was numerous amount of ways to watch it such as DVD or on video which meant that it didn't have the same effect into fooling some people and they knew it was fake. 

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 reasons why audiences felt scared by the broadcast in 1983 is because The Great Depression had made

food and jobs were scarce and tensions in Europe had almost reached boiling point, but through it all, the radio was a constant source of information, comfort, advice and entertainment. The radio had become a household essential, with four out of five homes owning one. People really trusted what they heard on their radios and, in this context, it is not surprising that some fell for the eerily realistic broadcast, even though the alleged explosions took place on Mars and the invaders were extraterrestrials. 

2) How did newspapers present the story? 

The newspapers tried presenting the story of The War of the Worlds (TWOTW) as there was something malicious about the intentions of those making and broadcasting it, and were swift to point out the sinister power of the medium of radio itself. According to the thousands of stories about the show that fed off each other in the weeks that followed the broadcast, TWOTW had stirred up mass hysteria, panic, chaos, and stress and the newspapers were blaming them intentionally to get people not to listen to radio anymore and go out and buy newspapers instead. 

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

The main motive behind this smear campaign was the competition radio presented with its ever-increasing popularity. Since it came on the scene commercially in the 1920s, many feared radio would kill off the other main media industries at the time. The radio brought news, music and more into people’s homes in an accessible, realistic and direct way; arguably there was no need to go and buy a newspaper or record if you could just switch on your radio. Plus, listeners would get to hear the real voices of the people making the news and access information more quickly than via a newspaper.

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

As a relatively new media form, there was still widespread scepticism about radio’s benefits and a lot of concern

about its potential downsides. Just like the introduction of newer media today, older generations feared the corruption of the young by uncensored, unregulated radio content.

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

* Stuart Hall, developed a theory of ‘reception’ that helps us understand the diverse ways audiences react. He

said people make a judgement on any media text based on their experiences and understanding of the world. Applying this to TWOTW, you might argue that listeners will have come up with their own understanding of the show (and subsequent stories in the papers) as individuals, offering either dominant, negotiated or oppositional readings. This would explain why some loved the show and accepted it instantly as entertainment while others panicked and called the police.

* Gerbner's cultivation theory can be applied to the broadcast as based on his research into television viewing, cultivation theory states that high frequency viewers of television are more susceptible to media messages and the belief that they are real. Heavy viewers of TV are thought to be ‘cultivating’ attitudes that seem to believe that the world created by television is an accurate depiction of the real world. Applied to War of the Worlds it could be argued that an audience familiar with the frequent interruptions to radio shows over the weeks leading up to the broadcast did not question the faux invasion broadcasts during Welles’ production.

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 Fake Scares Nation’ and ‘Fake Radio War Stirs Terror’

I feel like these two will be the easiest to remember if an exam question appears based upon The War of The Worlds as they are short and very memorable. Also, by using these newspaper headlines it'll help show my examiner that I have got some outside knowledge on this subject and will help me to get extra marks hopefully.