I just finished reading Michael Crichton’s State of Fear. Crichton talks about the “politico-legal-media complex” or “P.L.M.” The idea is that politicians, lawyers and the media work in conjunction to create a “state of fear” that feeds their business. As explained in the book:

“Politicians need fears to control the population. Lawyers need dangers to litigate, and make money. The media need scare stories to capture an audience. Together, these three estates are so compelling that they can go about their business even if the scare is totally groundless. If it has basis in fact at all.”

He also relates how Universities are the “factories of fear”.

“They invent all the new terrors and all the new social anxieties. … They produce a steady stream of new anxieties, dangers and terrors to be used by politicians, lawyers and reporters.”

While the whole book covers how global warming is one of these fears. He also gives an example of the killer bees from Africa. Today the bees appear to be living just fine in the US.

Crichton gives references about how “crisis” appears in the media far more frequently after the Berlin Wall came down and the official end of the Cold War. He later explains that the PLM uses environmental fears to take the place of the constant fear of nuclear fallout from the Cold War.

While the novel was not my favorite Crichton work, I thought the ideas were fascinating and made me question much of what I see on the media.