Boston Terror Attack - 56% say this Perpetuates a Culture of Fear

The recent explosions during the Boston Marathon sent shockwaves across the world when twin explosives went off seconds apart as marathoners neared the finish line. As the news continued to develop, it was revealed that two more explosives were found and diffused on site. Was the United States of America coming under attack once again? This was certainly the impression, as Boston residents were rendered as hostages within their own city, as they were informed to stay home to avoid being injured if another explosive was detonated. In an online survey conducted by the digital marketing company Tellwut, 2151 participants were asked whether they felt that more attacks would occur and found that 53% of participants were fearful that another terror attack would take place on American soil. In contrast, 17% of participants did not think that more attacks would occur and 29% chose to remain undecided. Indeed the uncertainty about the potential threat to Boston civilians spread fear throughout America. The explosion was reminiscent of previous attacks against the United States (e.g. 9/11), which further perpetuated a culture of fear to manifest within the nation. When asked whether Tellwut panel members felt that the terror attacks perpetuated a culture of fear, a staggering 56% of participants indicated that they felt that the terror attacks were making the American public live in state of fear. 19% did not feel that the attacks were producing a culture of fear and 18% percent choose to remain undecided. News networks also assisted in perpetuating the growing fear as the constant images of blood, bloodies and amputated limbs was on constant replay for millions of people to watch. Not only did news networks perpetuate a culture of fear, but they also provided a lot of inaccurate and misleading information that apparently came from ‘reliable sources.’ At one point CNN, FoxNews.com and the Boston Globe reported that an arrest had been made for the terror attack, which they later had to retract, as their reports were false. It appeared that every news source was so desperate to get their hands on exclusive news coverage, that factual reporting and reliable sources became a secondary concern. As a result, a desperate and shaken nation was left searching for answers and wondering who was responsible for the heinous terror attack that left people over 170 wounded and 3 people dead. Although President Barack Obama informed the American populace to not speculate about the group or individuals responsible for the crime, many people felt that the attack was terrorist related. In a survey conducted by TellWut, 27% of participants felt that a terrorist faction committed the attack, while 29% believed that a homegrown terrorist committed the attack; meaning that almost 60% of people believe that some form of terrorism is responsible for the Boston Marathon terror attack. The remainder of the participants (40%) have remained undecided about who they think who is responsible. Although no arrests have been made the FBI has released images to the public of two men that they believe are suspects in the terror attack. To further ease the residents of Boston, news reports (Friday, April 19, 2013) are now stating that one of the terror attack suspects has been killed. While the manhunt for the other suspect continues, parts of Boston remain on lockdown. The hope is that those responsible for the attack will be caught and punished to the fullest extent for the pain and suffering that they have inflicted upon the innocent participants and bystanders at the Boston Marathon.