Includes bibliographical references (p. 211-257) and index.
Contents
Dubious dangers on roadways and campuses : how fears are sold -- Crime in the news : tall tales and overstated statistics -- Youth at risk : faulty diagnoses and callous cures -- Monster moms : on the art of misdirection -- Black men : how to perpetuate prejudice without really trying -- "Smack is back" : when presidents and the press collude, the scares never stop -- Metaphoric illnesses : how not to criticize the establishment -- Plane wrecks : small danger, big scare -- Final thoughts : the Martians aren't coming.