3. War of the Worlds
(radio broadcast)
• October 30, 1938
• CBS radio network
• Directed and narrated by Orson Welles
• Adaptation of H.G. Wells’ War of the
Worlds
• Depicted Martian invasion
• 60 minute show
– Simulated news bulletin
– No commercials
4. Plot summary
• “Ordinary show”
• Meteorite lands in Grover’s Mill, New
Jersey
• Crowd gathers
• Carl Phillips (character) reports
• Meteorite unscrews, Martian emerges
and “heat-rays” audience
• Ends with radio operator asking “Is
anyone there??”
6. Public reaction
• 6 million listeners
• Most people only listened to
portion of show
• Newspapers exaggerated issue
– Threatened by radio broadcasting
• Concrete, Washington
– Power outage same time as broadcast
– People thought world was ending
8. That was then…
here is now
• "There is (now) a suspicion and a
cynicism toward information that
was not the case in 1938.”
--Robert Thompson, professor of media and culture,
Syracuse University
9. So much information!
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12. Leak report to AP
• KEY WORDS:
• Desert
• Life
• Mysterious
• Landing
• Speculation
• Investigation
• Alien
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13. Media Frenzy
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• History of UFO’s
• UFO sightings
• Interview people
who have seen
sightings
• Gov’t plans
15. TV News
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16. In the meantime…
Gov’t is tracking searches
Issuing anonymous surveys throughout
Internet
21. Microblog Madness
After four years of coaching, the squirrel
in my yard finally approached me. Now
we’re all going to die. FML
After four years of coaching, the squirrel
in my yard finally approached me. Now
we’re all going to die. FML
