This article, Fear as a Product is part of my Fear Narrative series: Part 01 was deeply personal and Part 02 spoke of Fear as Power.
Fear as a Product
How a Routine Naval Movement Became a National Alarm
When my father sent me an article from news dot com dot au (see links below), about a Chinese naval flotilla “heading for Australia,” my first reaction was anger at the sensational language. But then I felt something quieter and far more uncomfortable. What was he feeling when he read it? Concern. Fear. Trust? I realised I was not only reacting to this story. I was reacting to years of stories like it. Stories I absorbed growing up without ever questioning them.
The original article claimed that Chinese warships were “coming back to Aus,” suggested a flotilla might be “on its way to Australia,” and warned of a “playbook to intimidate the nation.” The framing was brief, dramatic and emotionally loaded.
This is my attempt to understand why those words land so deeply in the Australian imagination, including my own.
What is actually true and how we know it
Before we go into the story and language – to speak honestly I am not relying on personal belief. I am relying on the institutions that hold legal responsibility for Australia’s national security.
One. The ships were in international waters
The Australian Defence Force confirmed to ABC News, The Guardian and others that the flotilla was thousands of kilometres from Australian land. Under international maritime law this is lawful and routine. Every major navy does this.
Two. No Australian Government or Defence agency described the movement as a threat
Not the Defence Minister. Not the Royal Australian Navy. Not the Australian Defence Force. Not any official spokesperson. There were no alerts, no warnings, no increased readiness. Only routine monitoring. If the Commonwealth did not consider this a threat, there is no factual basis for reporting it as one.
Three. Naval movements like this are normal
Australia has acknowledged for decades that many navies operate in these waters, including our own allies. The presence of a foreign naval group in international waters is not unusual and not evidence of hostile intent.
Four. Satellite images confirm presence, not intention
Images can reveal the shape, location and formation of a fleet. They cannot confirm motive or destination. Reputable outlets therefore reported only what was observable. It is the sensational outlets that inserted intention.
Five. Reputable outlets used calm and factual language
ABC News, SBS, Reuters and The Guardian wrote things like:
“observed in international waters”, “routine monitoring”, “no unusual behaviour”
News dot com dot au wrote:
“Chinese warships coming back to Aus”, “another flotilla on its way”, “playbook to intimidate the nation” and “in our backyard again”
The contrast reveals the intention.
Fear as a Product language at work
So what does this language suggest and what was the reality?
“Chinese warships coming back to Aus”
Suggests repetition and return, as though something threatening has happened before. Reality: No agency confirmed any approach toward Australia.
“Another flotilla on its way to Australia”
Suggests inevitability and deliberate direction. Reality: There is no evidence of a course toward Australia.
“The playbook to intimidate the nation”
Suggests psychological warfare. Reality: No Defence or Government source used this language. It comes from the outlet alone.
“In our backyard again”
This is one sentence, as simple as it may be, really made me see red. It’s a strategic remark that transforms distant ocean, into personal territory. Reality: The flotilla was thousands of kilometres away.
Fear is not in the facts. Fear is in the framing.
Why this language works on Australians
To understand this, I had to look into the deeper stories Australians carry. And there is a substantial body of Australian scholarship that explains this more clearly than I ever could.
A long memory of isolation and vulnerability
Historian David Walker, in his book Anxious Nation, traces how Australia spent much of the twentieth century imagining itself as exposed, outnumbered and at risk from the region around it. Narratives of danger, distance and fragility became embedded in national identity.
Pride as protection
Social researcher Hugh Mackay has written about how Australians rely on pride as reassurance. Growing up, and even to this day, I hear it constantly. “We have world class facilities”. “We have the best in the world”. “We punch above our weight”. These are NOT signs of arrogance. They are a way of steadying ourselves. A way of belonging in a world that sometimes feels overwhelming.
A belief that threat comes from outside
Walker and others have shown that Australians have often been taught that danger arrives from beyond our shores. From early fears of invasion to Cold War anxieties to modern geopolitical shifts, the story has remained remarkably consistent.
This emotional landscape makes fear based reporting especially effective. It does not create new fear. It activates old stories.
Fear as a Product: Murdoch, national pride and the rise of emotional storytelling
Fear as a Product: I was recently catching up with a close friend who once worked for the Murdoch family. When we discussed this article she reminded me that Rupert Murdoch began in South Australia, the same state where I was born. Because the article my father sent came from news dot com dot au, which sits inside the wider News Corp network, it made sense to look at the media culture it comes from.
Murdoch’s career started with a modest Adelaide newspaper before expanding into a global media empire. For many Australians, especially in South Australia, his rise was a point of pride. A local story that became international.
Writers like Robert Manne have analysed how Murdoch understood the emotional landscape of Australia, both the pride and the insecurity. His newspapers learned how to speak directly to that terrain, often through emotion rather than calm civic reporting.
Murdoch did not invent those cultural tensions. He learned how to use them.
As many media scholars have noted, as his empire expanded, so did its appetite for emotion. Sensational headlines, dramatic crises and fear driven narratives became part of the editorial formula. Not because Australians were gullible, but because these stories resonated with the feelings we already carried.
Many of the outlets in his network are widely recognised as tabloid in style, built around attention grabbing headlines, emotional storytelling and a focus on crisis and conflict. That approach became a defining feature of his media culture, and it shapes the reporting style at news dot com dot au today.
Why this story landed now
In early 2025 a Chinese naval flotilla conducted a live fire exercise in international waters between Australia and New Zealand. Commercial flights were diverted. Warnings were issued with little notice. It unsettled people.
Even though it occurred legally and outside Australian territory, it triggered real anxiety along the east coast. For many Australians it became a reminder that the region is changing.
Against this backdrop a headline like “warships in our backyard again” lands differently. Not because it is accurate. But because it taps into fresh memory layered on top of older cultural stories.
What a responsible article would have said
A calm, factual version would have been simple:
A Chinese naval task group was observed in international waters far from Australian land. The movement is lawful under maritime rules. Australia is monitoring as standard. There is no evidence of hostile intent or any approach toward Australian territory.
That is all. Nothing more.
Why understanding this matters
I grew up inside these stories. I am still learning how deeply they shaped my understanding of the world. Fear changes how we see ourselves, our neighbours and our future. Fear shapes politics. Fear shapes national identity. Fear shapes how we interpret headlines.
But when we begin to recognise the machinery behind fear based reporting we take back clarity. We stop mistaking emotional pressure for national danger. We begin to see that fear can be constructed, amplified and sold. And it can be unlearned.
Because once you understand who is building the story, and why, fear loses much of its power.
IMAGE DESCRIPTION: This image shows a distant military warship on a calm sea beneath soft cloud formations. The overlaid text “In our backyard again.” highlights the kind of sensational phrasing often used in fear driven reporting. Below it, the title “Fear as a Product” and subtitle “Headlines that manufacture emotion” frame the image as a critique of how media outlets use emotional language to shape public perception. The image sets the tone for a deeper examination of national narratives, cultural fears and the influence of media magnates who learned how to use emotion to sell their papers.
Fear as a Product Referenced Articles
- ‘Growing Appetite – Chinese Warships Coming Back To Aus‘
- ‘Satellite images clearly picture Chinese flotilla north of Australia in Philippine Sea’
Fear as a Product FAQ’s
What does fear as a product mean in the Australian context
Fear as a product describes how emotion can be manufactured and amplified by the way stories are framed. In Australia this often connects to older cultural narratives about isolation, vulnerability and outside threat. These deeper stories help explain why some headlines land with more emotional force than the facts would suggest.
Why do media outlets sometimes use fear based language for routine events
Some media outlets rely on emotional storytelling to hold attention. Sensational wording, dramatic framing and crisis phrases are part of an editorial culture shaped over many decades. When combined with existing national anxieties, this can turn ordinary events into national alarms.
How can readers protect themselves from fear as a product in the news
Slowing down helps. Look at the facts. Check whether authorities have confirmed any danger. Compare sensational headlines with neutral reporting. Understanding how fear is constructed gives us more clarity and stops emotional framing becoming our reality.
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At first, this article took me aback. I felt a little defensive. But with further reflection, I realised that as an Australian living abroad, I can genuinely relate to these narratives and to the impact they have on our lives.
There is, of course, a deep sense of fear in Australia about the growing presence of China in the region. When I left Sydney two years ago, my impression, shaped largely by the media, was that China was an imminent enemy waiting to attack. Yet viewing the situation from outside the Australian media bubble has been revealing. It has made clear just how sensationalised our media landscape often is, and how we move from one breaking story to the next in an almost constant state of anxiety, often without even realising it.
This style of journalism exists everywhere. It is not unique to Australia. But having the chance to step outside and look back has shifted my perspective. Personally, I now find myself more concerned about the influence the United States has on Australia than the threat I was once conditioned to fear.
Hello James, thanks for taking time to read the article and share your comments. Yes agreed, this journalistic style isn’t unique to Australia, my years in the UK taught me that!
Firstly, I wanted to say how much I enjoyed reading your journey of discovering more about yourself and the influence of narratives along the way. It’s refreshing compared to the consistent know-it-all, or option preaching we get served today.
Secondly, as a citizen of New Zealand, although born in in Fiji ( both islands, not the size of Australia), I also recognise that fear in society. I’m turning 80 next year and have witnessed how fear has exploded into our headlines, playing on our insecurities through sensationalism since the late 70’s. Nowadays I can’t, and choose not to, watch the tv news or read the papers.
I discovered this article by chance. At my age I may not be your regular audience, however I look forward to reading more of your work.
Hi Mere, thank you for reading and commenting, Im curious how you found this article? Please let me know. Thanks for sharing your experience. These are reflective writings and I’m not trying to appeal to any specific audience, other than people who want to question and learn whats going on around them. You are very welcomed here!
No offense but don’t read that trashy website if you want quality, fact based, no bias journalism. It belongs among those Media outlets that lean hard on outrage, fear, celebrity scandal, crime panic, or “gotcha” consumer stories, often with punchy headlines and a lot of opinion, including:
1. Herald Sun
2. The Daily Telegraph
3. The Courier Mail
4. The Advertiser
5. The Sunday Telegraph
These kinds of titles are also the ones that often show up in Australian Press Council adjudications and complaints about things like headline accuracy, framing, and presentation. But bybthe time it’s retracted, the damage is done.
Also,
1. A Current Affair is frequently described by critics as sensationalist, with a history that includes ACMA action on specific segments.
2. Today Tonight. Now off air, but widely remembered and documented as tabloid television, including ACMA findings noted in coverage and summaries.
3. Sky News Australia opinion programming, especially Sky News Regional segments carried on free to air in some areas
ACMA has found breaches relating to accuracy in specific investigations.
Hi Jake, thanks for reading and sharing the above information.
I had this article forward to me from a student via LinkedIn. I teach Australian Media, History, and National Identity in Melbourne, more specifically: how the shift toward outrage driven news changed public language, attitudes and identity through legacy media (thanks to you know who!).
What you have described above is just the tip of the ice berg. It’s as terrifying as it is fascinating the level of emotional manipulation we (Australians) and the world have been subject. Keep following this line of research if you can face the hard truths that most will turn a blind eye. The fact this is well documented research and even taught for decades, it still not widely known nor discussed. I wish you good luck.
Hi K, thank you for reading and sharing your experience. I would love to speak with you more about this topic. Please can you reach out to me when you have time. Please use the contact form on the contact page. Thank you!
I also discovered this post via LinkedIn. I see that compared to your previous articles as part of this Fear Narrative series, this post has hundreds of more reads and comments. So either the algorithm picked it up, or it just struck a chord with people. Either way congratulations, it’s hard to get involvement in today’s digital ‘like or swipe’ environment. For me, born in Australia to a mixed family (uncommon in the early 60’s), I well recognise the changing landscape of media for many years ago into this new language that feed on insecurities. I watched how this played out on my parent’s behaviour as a child growing up and their parenting, and later in life with the internet. This is not judgement on them, their capacities or even education. They were both highly educated. It creeped in until it became a norm. Much as today’s social media leaves a level of forever anxiety whether you recognise it or not. After all, you are just doing the best you can do. But I think thanks to Trump, if there is anything to be thankful for, the world is waking up that what we see, hear and read simply cannot be trusted without rigorous fact checking. Its sad this it where we are at. But we are and I only hope our education system is teaching youngsters today how to avoid the traps.
Hi Brian, you are right. My website and posts generally get far less interaction these days than they did even a few years ago. I guess that is just the social media era we are in now.
That said, LinkedIn did seem to carry this one further than usual. It ended up being one of my most successful posts in the last couple of years, which is a nice reminder that some things still cut through.
It also made me reflect on how much this kind of reporting shaped my parents’ world. A while back I looked into the biggest news stories from my hometown in the 1970s, and honestly, it was confronting how many were about children missing, kidnapped, or killed. I can only imagine what it would do to you as a parent, living with that in the background day after day. Add the emotion, spectacle, and sensational headlines, and it could not have been easy to hold a steady sense of safety.
I am Chinese born, I hear little about Australia growing up. We are learned beautiful nature and special interesting animals. I know the sydney opera house and the great barrier reef. Many students say a good education but it is expensive and far away from home. We do not get much news about Australia. We hear a lot of news about many other countries. Sometimes there is news that Australia follows USA and the Australia government becomes suspicious of China and sometimes unfriendly. I now spend 1 year in UK to improve my English. I am interested learning about how countries report about China.
Hello, and thanks for reading and commenting.
Here in Europe, we do not hear a lot about Australia either, unless something major breaks through the news cycle, like the terrible mass shooting over the weekend, or unless you are deliberately seeking out Australian news.
Australia has also marketed itself very well internationally through tourism and education, especially its landscapes and unique wildlife. So most people I meet here tend to have the same general picture of Australia that you describe.
And good luck with your English and stay in the UK.
Very interesting article. In the UK we have been dealing with the ‘sensationalised’ headlines also for many years. It’s hard at times not to get caught up despite having learnt the lesson many times before. We have busy lives and these are attention grabbing often take us by surprise. And in geopolitical instability, harder to ignore when we are all living with some fear of the future.
Hi Jennifer, thanks for reading and sharing your experiences. I get what you are saying from my years living in the UK. Sometimes things just catch you off guard and it leaves you questioning if what you are hearing is real.
Studies suggest that as people get older, sensational or attention grabbing headlines can have a stronger pull on credibility judgments and sharing intentions, not because people are unintelligent, but because some cognitive and memory processes change with age. For example, Jia Zhou, Honglian Xiang, and Bingjun Xie ran an experiment with adults aged 58 to 83 and found that eye catching headlines and emotional images increased perceived credibility and willingness to share misinformation. 
Related research by Henry Roediger III and Lisa Geraci shows older adults can be more vulnerable to misleading information partly due to age related difficulties with source monitoring, meaning it can be harder to keep track of where a claim came from, which can let vivid or sensational claims feel more convincing than they should. 
For a broad overview of this pattern and why it is not simply about intelligence, see Nadia Brashier and Daniel Schacter’s review on aging in an era of fake news. 
Hi Dr. Daniels, thank you for reading and commenting.
You raise some really interesting points here, and I am going to look into them more deeply. I appreciate you referencing those ideas.
Is this an area you are directly interested in through your work in psychology? If so, I would love to continue the conversation, possibly as part of my podcast series next year, Rewrite Reality.
If you are open to it, please reach out via the contact form on my website. Thank you, and I hope to hear from you.
I can’t speak for Australians, not being Australian or having ever lived there. But I suspect that the Aussie’s no longer have that same admiration or support for Rupert Murdock as they once did. I always found Aussies rather clued up about these types of guys.
I’m kinda curious about that myself. I also assume not(?). – thanks for reading and commenting
It seems cut and dry to me. Don’t read rubbish pretending to be journalism.
…and thats the challenge sometime. Thanks for reading!