Fear sells better than sex in TV biz journalism

John Norris, a columnist for the Montgomery Advertiser in Alabama, writes about those who fear the stock market is about to crash.

Norris writes, “First, let me explain something: if your last name isn’t Buffett, Bernanke, Yellen, or Gross, you had better come up with something interesting to say when you are on the TV. Otherwise, your five minutes of fame and glory will be just that, five minutes. Why? Because there are literally thousands of people chomping at the bit to get on the set to promote themselves and their firms.

“Basically, show producers have a nearly limitless list of people who look, talk, think, and act the same from which to choose. That makes for boring TV, and everyone knows it. So, they try to find someone who has something different, unusual, or, dare I say it, terrifying to say.

“After all, business journalism is the one field where fear sells better than sex.”

Read more here.