103113bpr_1.mp3
Dr. Steven Schlozman caused a minor panic on late-night radio. The reason? His fictional book — The Zombie Autopsies: Secret Notebooks From The Apocalypse — was presented as fact by kooky host George Noory. Not long into the interview, emails from frightened listeners poured in, begging for advice on how to survive the impending zombie apocalypse.
Orson Welles famously sold a Martian invasion to terrified listeners 75 years ago in his "War of the Worlds." So, how do audiences get hoodwinked so easily? Do we want to be hoodwinked? Is confusion and terror the price we pay for realistic entertainment?
Also on BPR: