Misconception about War of the Worlds panic

The widespread panic in America after Orson Welles' War of the Worlds broadcast in 1938 is largely debunked according to a study that found the reported panic was exaggerated. Research traced the panic to biased reporting in newsrooms receiving heightened calls, misconstruing the localized reactions as a national frenzy. A scholar investigated letters following the broadcast, showing mixed responses with some enjoying the thriller and others panicking, but not on the reported national scale.