What an excellent article and relevant to more than just the examples given. Would-be authoritarians have long understood the power of keeping a populace fearful and it's much better to do so with imaginary fears than having to go to the effort of creating or dealing with real ones.

The journalism profession is not solely to blame: this is a tacit collaboration between media, manipulative political operatives and a population that has become so sheltered that bogeymen are the biggest problem that most ever have to face.

It's a simple equation for propagandists: discuss only extremes and always emphasis the victim and you'll gain sympathy from 100% of women and about 50% of men, meaning you'll automatically be in front at the ballot box or in front of the jury.

When we have serious publications from Government that equate having a noisy mutual argument with a punch and never, ever mention that women can be anything other than victims, the broad reach and obvious failing of this sort of thing is obvious.

I think you can go much further in condemning yellow journalism than just writing of how parents' natural worry of child abduction is used to sell newspapers.
The world was stampeded into the second Iraq war by hyping our fear of a few terrorists hiding in a cave in Afghanistan. This could have been handled as a police matter. Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with it. But jingoistic yellow journalism made the world fearful, and it has (we have) been paying the price of that overreaction ever since.
Or take today's main story, the carbon tax. Abbott is getting away with stoking fear by saying families and companies will be sent down the gurgler because of it. He offers little to back up his assertions, but journos love him. The public's confidence is suffering as a result of his negativity which is reported ad nauseam.
I often despair at what Gillard says and how she says it, but she got it exactly right last week: Don't write crap!

Yes an interesting article, but it looks to be putting a band aid on a scratch while ignoring both legs have been cut off.
This giant has been run for the benefit of its owners and family.
Few balanced observers will be unaware Rupert's Dad held great power, politicians, even prime ministers called him sir.
No secret, his Australian editors get riding instructions from him, in politics cooperate, financial self interest.
If all the crimes, the interventions and sponsorships, the influence in policy, this giant has seen ever becomes publicly known, our very foundations will be rocked forever.
Had a normal person committed one ten of one percent of this groups lets Say interventions, prison would be the result.
Question for my country.
Is government by Democratic system or can it be bought and paid for by cash and sponsorship.
If the answer is no some is doing great harm to My country and others based on bank account not anything else.

Tabloids, and other news outlets like to print stories that the public likes to read. Shark attacks, and other sensational news will never affect the average reader, but it is interested, and they buy the papers that cover it.

For example what is the global significance of whom Paris Hilton has just hooked up with? but more people want to read about it than the independence of South Sudan.

This is not the newspapers' fault.

"Crime is falling. It has been steadily falling for all the time we can get information about it (going back to the Middle Ages in Europe)".

Where did you get those figures? Overland and Brumby? Rann and Hyde?

We have in many cases stopped reporting crime (why waste time when we know it won't be investigated?) - I've not reported any of the 11 crimes committed against me in the past 2 years (attempted and successful break and enter, theft, car and other property vandalism), crimes that I would have reported 30 years ago.

Lies, damned lies and statistics; everyone I've discussed society with has indicated they know crime has increased, and it IS NOT because we read tabloids (or the Australian), and to suggest we are so stupid as to blindly follow what you term "the exaggerated coverage of crime" whereas you are too clever to fall for it is an affront to most of us.

This was a great article. To LBLoveday, i believe the assertion that crime has been falling for decades at least. The statistics are not always easy to interpret, however, statistics on murder tend to be accurate. All murders are reported and you should be able to find murder statistics on the website of the ABS.
In Western Australia the news on the commercial TV stations is made up of at least 75% assaults and other unpleasant crime. This week it was an attack by a group of young men on another young man. This was played on every news report for four days. In a city of 1.5 million people, would you not expect at least one significant crime per week? This does not mean that crime is out of control, or increasing. It simply means we live in a big city. But the perception is that if you step out your front door you will almost certainly be beaten and robbed.