The usual effect of journalism is precisely to spread, not extinguish, "mass confusion and hysteria."Journalism is nonfiction entertainment, and it's most successful as entertainment when they have something scary to report. Just as arsonists sometimes turn out to be firemen, we ought to consider journalists to be at least potential suspects in any major disaster. The Rodney King riot was, for example, given "air cover" by broadcasts of the video of King's arrest, edited to show only the side unfavorable to the police. "News," doncha know . . .