TV crisis coverage draws viewers.

• Position: Your Life - Brief Article

Not only will television news channels continue their rise in popularity, but so will the "crisis of the moment" coverage on cable news channels that reached its peak after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and continues during the war in Iraq, predicts Gary Copeland, professor of communication and information sciences at The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. "News channel viewership rises dramatically when there's a crisis. So this generates the notion that everything is a crisis. The number of child kidnappings across the United States actually was down [in 2002] from 2001, but you never heard that on the news channels? he points out.

Continually talking about crisis perpetuates the feelings of unease that Americans have. Copeland stresses that when people feel uneasy, they turn to those who will make them feel safe. That's...