Alarmists

Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860), Parerga and Paralipomena, Vol. II, Chapter 19, § 233 (tr. Adrian Del Caro and Christopher Janaway): Exaggeration of every kind is as essential to journalism as it is to the dramatic arts, since what matters is to make as much as possible of every event. This is why all who write for newspapers are also alarmists, by virtue of their trade; it is their way of making themselves interesting. But in doing so they resemble little dogs that immediately start to bark loudly at anything that even moves. Accordingly we have to adjust our attention to their alarm trumpet in such a way that it does not ruin our digestion, and generally keep in mind that the newspaper is a magnifying glass, and this only at best; for often it is a mere shadow play on the wall. Uebertreibung in jeder Art ist der Zeitungsschreiberei eben so wesentlich, wie der dramatischen Kunst: denn es gilt, aus jedem Vorfall möglichst viel zu machen. Daher auch sind alle Zeitungsschreiber, von…