A frightened populace more readily engages with current events, offering more election votes and article views. Thus, both politicians and journalists benefit by keeping the public in a constant state of alarm.
Generally, but not necessarily. A calm populace gets bored and soon yearns for some spice. A scared populace could help stoke support for a policy decision. The trick lies in keeping the source of fear as something that only the incumbent can solve (in the public's minds).
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