The Martians Have Landed!: A History of Media-Driven Panics and Hoaxes

by Robert E. Bartholomew, Benjamin Radford

History is replete with examples of media-created scares and panics. This book presents more than three dozen studies of media scares from the 17th century to the 21st century, including hoaxes perpetrated via newspapers, radio, television and cyberspace. From the 1835 batmen on the Moon hoax to more recent bird flu scares and Hurricane Katrina myths, this book explores hoaxes that highlight the impact of the media on our lives and its tendency to sensationalize. Most of the hoaxes covered occurred in the United States, though incidents from Europe, Asia, Africa, South America and Australia are featured as well. Several are global in scope, revealing the power global media wields.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Science

254 pages, Paperback

First published October 19, 2011

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's an aphorism that is phrased various ways. Yet the truth general truth of "It's not the idea, it's the execution" holds true in almost any endeavor. Books are no exception.

Sociologist Robert Bartholomew and Benjamin Radford, deputy editor of Skeptical Inquirer magazine, have an intriguing concept in exploring the media's spread of hoaxes and furors over imaginary or minor events. However, the execution in their book The Martians Have Landed!: A History of Media-Driven Panics and Hoaxes doesn't quite live up to the potential.

The book looks at not only commotions spread by radio, television and newspaper but also through urban legend and on the internet. Given the potential breadth of these topics and the fact the latter two are continually growing, The Martians Have Landed! does a fairly good job of selecting subjects within these areas. Thus, we not only read about radio broadcasts of alien invasions, the phony stories that followed Hurricane Katrina and the uproar over Satanic cults but also fascination with chemtrails, the chupacabra, morgellons and the anti-vaccination movement. Yet editorially the book fails.

There doesn't seem to be a sense of proportion. For example, while chapters on human organ thefts and the sexual abuse of children by Satanic cults are five pages each, some 11 1/2 pages are spent on a British story about a curse that supposedly causes fires in homes that have a copy of a widely sold painting of a crying child and 10 pages are devoted to the set-to in 1970s and 1980s Britain and New Zealand over "video nasties," films on video cassettes criticized for their graphic violence. Although the longer pieces in the book are written by contributors, not Batholomew and Radford, the chapter on Satanic cult scares ends up paying lip service to all the elements involved in it while there is in-depth investigation of the painting story.

The chapters also have a tendency to have the tone of almost academic essay. In fact, the two chapters dealing with radio presentations supposedly documenting an alien invasion appear spun off from an article Bartholomew wrote for Skeptical Inquirer in late 1998. And almost every chapter seems to conclude with a somewhat censorious statement of the media's role in initiating, misreporting or spreading the story and either a warning that it could happen again or that it could be even worse given the speed and massive reach of today's media. Perhaps even more perturbing is The Martians Have Landed! seems to have lacked a highly attentive editor. It isn't just that words are missing from some sentences; that, sadly, seems to occur far too frequently in the book market these days. It's more that writers weren't required to be a bit more dynamic or creative.

For example, a chapter on a story that spread in Taiwan in 1956 about a razor-wielding maniac says that "rumors swept through Taipei of numerous young girls being slashed at primary schools." Five sentences later we are told that children were kept indoors because "rumors abounded about young girls being slashed at numerous primary schools." Likewise, the second paragraph of the chapter on Satanic cults reports that "there was the odd story of satanic murder or kidnapping by wayward youths calling themselves satanists." Nine paragraphs later we are told there are "reports of 'Satanists' killing people, but these are rare and usually involve attention-seeking youths who call themselves satanists in name only." In neither case is the reader given new information, only a rephrasing of a prior sentence.

The Martians Have Landed! could have been an excellent compilation of or resource on media-inspired hoaxes or even just an interesting read. Sadly, it leaves us with a sense of a medley of short academic essays broadly summarizing the topic of the chapter. It is an idea failed in execution.

(Originally posted at A Progressive on the Prairie.)

[David James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written and entertaining overview of how print, broadcast, and electronic media fuel misconceptions and sometimes create completely unnecessary panics. The infamous Orson Welles "War of the Worlds" broadcast is, of course, represented here, but the book goes much further, delving into stories ranging from the humorous (shark frenzies, disc jockey hoaxes, and urban legends), to the sociologically fascinating (the Halley's Comet scare of 1910, chemtrail conspiracies, and the widely published ""Christ in the Snow" photograph, the origin of which has never been determined), to false beliefs that genuinely threaten society (vaccine denial, medical scares, and false stories about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina that fed racial stereotypes).

This book provides a good look at why we need to approach anything we read in the newspaper, see on television, and especially encounter on the internet with a skeptical mind. Good reporters and media outlets will correct their errors, but all too often this is done with far less fanfare than the original story garnered. And in today's online media universe, bad media sources will just keep pumping the same stories no matter how thoroughly they have been debunked. Reader beware.

[R.K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw this book reviewed in a recent copy of Skeptical Inquirer and thought it look interesting. The Martians Have Landed was an entertaining, fast read, not too fluff and over-explaning just the basic facts concerning sensationalized stories released by the media. I've heard of many of these stories, but there were a number of stories I didn't realize had no basis in truth at all.

This is a good book to help you realize just how much the media distorts information. Most people already have an understanding of this fact, but when you read about all the hoaxes and scams, it really drives the point home.

After reading this, you may think twice before freaking out, selling your home and moving to some deserted island the next time the media comes out with a fear based story. The Martians Have Landed will hopefully promote a bit of desire to fact check what you hear on the news and radio stations.

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Martians Have Landed is something of a critique on the press and media. This could have been a wonderfully entertaining book, exposing hoaxes in a fun way. Unfortunately the writing is very uneven. Several chapters are written by those other than the authors. Some of the stories were interesting, informative, and entertaining. Others were dry and often very brief. While the authors have included an extensive bibliography to substantiate their stories, some additional fact-checking and additional sources would have been helpful. A few of their "facts" had been disproven years earlier, while other claims were left for the reader to take on faith alone.
Overall I did enjoy the book, but I am an information junkie. For most people, I think it would be an excellent library read or wait for it to hit the bargain shelves of your local bookstore.

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short chapters full of wonderful information about various scandals and hoaxes that were created or spread by each branch of the media. Teens will like the short chapters and adults will like this peak into media history. This book may have been released in 2012 but it is a favorite book of 2013 for me.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was entertaining to start, but started to feel repetitive toward the end. Most of the stories I was familiar with, as well as the facts debunking them. Overall it was o.k. but not terribly exciting.

[Marty · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good introduction to a number of media driven hoaxes out there.