--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In a terrified world, false news was king." description: "\"“In a terrified world, false news was king.”\" — Stephen King" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82b/stephen-king-13_quote_in-a-terrified-world-false-news-was-king_873311.jpg" --- # In a terrified world, false news was king. ![“In a terrified world, false news was king.” quote by Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82b/stephen-king-13_quote_in-a-terrified-world-false-news-was-king_873311.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82b/stephen-king-13_quote_in-a-terrified-world-false-news-was-king_873311.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82b/stephen-king-13_quote_in-a-terrified-world-false-news-was-king_873311.jpg) > ““In a terrified world, false news was king.”” [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. In a frightening era, misinformation spreads rapidly and dominates perception. **In simple terms:** False news thrives in fear. Key Takeaway Question sources before believing. Themes media fear information truth society Mood cautious inquisitive Type media psychological When to use this quote - Social media - political campaigns - public health crises - personal relationships Key Concepts Misinformation dynamics psychology of fear media influence Questions to Reflect On - What mechanisms can protect truth? - How does fear amplify false narratives? A Different Perspective Fear can also be exploited to suppress dissent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Terrified](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrified/) ## Related quotes > [When I was 11, I was terrified about the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-maitlis/when-i-was-11-i-was-terrified-about-the-world/) [Emily Maitlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-maitlis/) > [I'm terrified about the world food shortages. Vegetables could quite easily become tomorrow's currency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roddy-llewellyn/i-m-terrified-about-the-world-food-shortages-vegetables-could-quite/) [Roddy Llewellyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roddy-llewellyn/) > [“The toy is the lodestar of the child’s survival. The consequences of his failure to get his toy are disastrous. That Hoffman’s—and anyone else’s—pursuit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-toy-is-the-lodestar-of-the-child-s-survival-the-consequences-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“That is the point of all this. To make you terrified of a world where you do not rule. Security and justice aren’t given.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brown/that-is-the-point-of-all-this-to-make-you-terrified-of-a-world-where/) [Pierce Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brown/) > [I feel really - actually - quite terrified about the world as it now exists. The kind of sucking the world dry for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-hollibaugh/i-feel-really-actually-quite-terrified-about-the-world-as-it-now/) [Amber Hollibaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-hollibaugh/) > [I was once that little boy Terrified of the world, now I'm on a world tour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupe-fiasco/i-was-once-that-little-boy-terrified-of-the-world-now-i-m-on-a-world/) [Lupe Fiasco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupe-fiasco/) > [I'll give anything for a good copy now, be it true or false, so it be news.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/i-ll-give-anything-for-a-good-copy-now-be-it-true-or-false-so-it-be/) [Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/) > [False news hurts everyone. It hurts our community; it hurts us as individuals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/false-news-hurts-everyone-it-hurts-our-community-it-hurts-us-as/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“But I'm ravenous for news, any kind of news; even if it's false news, it must mean something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/but-i-m-ravenous-for-news-any-kind-of-news-even-if-it-s-false-news-it/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [I am not someone who would build up false news just to get attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sana-khan/i-am-not-someone-who-would-build-up-false-news-just-to-get-attention/) [Sana Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sana-khan/) > [What's so ironic is that CNN's doing reports on fake news, and they have someone who writes one false news story after the next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-scarborough/what-s-so-ironic-is-that-cnn-s-doing-reports-on-fake-news-and-they/) [Joe Scarborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-scarborough/) > [An Educated Atheist is: A bearer of false news, that accuse the God who Created the Universe of being nonexistent!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/an-educated-atheist-is-a-bearer-of-false-news-that-accuse-the-god-who/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) > [False news, when combined with social media, can wreak havoc thanks to its potential of reaching millions in a short span. The effects can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fabrizio-moreira/false-news-when-combined-with-social-media-can-wreak-havoc-thanks-to/) [Fabrizio Moreira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fabrizio-moreira/) > [Skimming has led, I believe, to a tendency to go to the sources that seem the simplest, most reduced, most familiar, and least cognitively…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maryanne-wolf/skimming-has-led-i-believe-to-a-tendency-to-go-to-the-sources-that/) [Maryanne Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maryanne-wolf/) > [I don't want to inhabit the human world under false pretenses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-frame/i-don-t-want-to-inhabit-the-human-world-under-false-pretenses/) [Janet Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-frame/) ## More by Stephen King > [Shall there be truth between us, as two men? Not as friends, but as enemies and equals?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/shall-there-be-truth-between-us-as-two-men-not-as-friends-but-as/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The worst advice? 'Don't listen to the critics.' I think that you really ought to listen to the critics, because sometimes they're telling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-worst-advice-don-t-listen-to-the-critics-i-think-that-you-really/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“October 3, 2017 The clown, Hagarty said, looked like a cross between Ronald McDonald and that old TV clown, Bozo—or so he thought at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/october-3-2017-the-clown-hagarty-said-looked-like-a-cross-between/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Eddie saw great things and near misses. Albert Einstein as a child, not quite struck by a run-away milk-wagon as he crossed a street.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/eddie-saw-great-things-and-near-misses-albert-einstein-as-a-child-not/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [It hurt, of course, but more often than not the best things do, I've found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/it-hurt-of-course-but-more-often-than-not-the-best-things-do-i-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“The idea that creative endeavor and mind-altering substances are entwined is one of the great pop-intellectual myths of our time... Creative people probably do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-idea-that-creative-endeavor-and-mind-altering-substances-are/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“The sun had burned through and the day had gone from dull to dazzling, yet in the west blask-satin thunderheads continued to stack up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-sun-had-burned-through-and-the-day-had-gone-from-dull-to-dazzling/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“God, you had enough time to have been through it three times. You've been through my stuff. I bet you over and let one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/god-you-had-enough-time-to-have-been-through-it-three-times-you-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Flakes of snow swirled and danced across the porch. The Overlook faced it as it had for nearly three-quarters of a century, its darkened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/flakes-of-snow-swirled-and-danced-across-the-porch-the-overlook-faced/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“In that instant it all seemed to come clear to him- it came in a grisly flash of light, and he realized that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/in-that-instant-it-all-seemed-to-come-clear-to-him-it-came-in-a/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Who gets to be best-liked in any community? Who is the most trusted? Why, the man who does the dirty job, of course, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/who-gets-to-be-best-liked-in-any-community-who-is-the-most-trusted/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“¿Lo ves, tonto? Volvió a regañarse. Tú lo inventaste todo, gato asustado. No fue más que tu imaginación, gato asustado, gato asustado... No te…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/lo-ves-tonto-volvi-a-rega-arse-t-lo-inventaste-todo-gato-asustado-no/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Death . . . but not for you. That was what Walter, clever as Satan even at the end, had said. A lawyer’s answer . . . so close to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/death-but-not-for-you-that-was-what-walter-clever-as-satan-even-at/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The ghost story movie that scared me the most was The Changeling with George C. Scott. I think that's sometimes overlooked, but it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-ghost-story-movie-that-scared-me-the-most-was-the-changeling-with/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Climb aboard, Jonesy. I'm going to send you up where the air is rare and the view is much more than fair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/climb-aboard-jonesy-i-m-going-to-send-you-up-where-the-air-is-rare/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) [Explore all 3,589 Stephen King quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## More Terrified quotes > [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The idea of a bowed and terrified liberal minority during McCarthy's 'reign of terror' is poppycock. Then as now, all elite opinion was against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/the-idea-of-a-bowed-and-terrified-liberal-minority-during-mccarthy-s/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [You know, I read the papers and I watch the news a lot. I watch 'Dateline' and '48 Hours'. And I think we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-galecki/you-know-i-read-the-papers-and-i-watch-the-news-a-lot-i-watch/) [Johnny Galecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-galecki/) > [How can I set free anyone who doesn't have the guts to stand up alone and declare his own freedom? I think it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/how-can-i-set-free-anyone-who-doesn-t-have-the-guts-to-stand-up-alone/) [Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/) > [Don't you understand anything? Isn't it absolutely essential to keep a fierce Left and a fierce Right, both on their toes and each terrified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/don-t-you-understand-anything-isn-t-it-absolutely-essential-to-keep-a/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [“banshee continued, mixed with terrified”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-james/banshee-continued-mixed-with-terrified/) [Peter James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-james/) > [I remember learning about the Holocaust when I was in kindergarten and being terrified. I think we even watched a graphic video about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-soloway/i-remember-learning-about-the-holocaust-when-i-was-in-kindergarten/) [Jill Soloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-soloway/) > [I did a thing called 24 Hour Plays, a thing they do every year on Broadway. A bunch of playwrights and actors get together,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-raab/i-did-a-thing-called-24-hour-plays-a-thing-they-do-every-year-on/) [Scott Raab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-raab/) > [Being on set is quite difficult, because it's so big and you've got to try and relax, which isn't easy when you know you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/being-on-set-is-quite-difficult-because-it-s-so-big-and-you-ve-got-to/) [Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/) > [I am terrified by this dark thing That sleeps in me; All day I feel its soft, feathery turnings, its malignity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/i-am-terrified-by-this-dark-thing-that-sleeps-in-me-all-day-i-feel/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [“Here at its extremities the terrified transients gathered, gazing out at the vast refulgent ocean for some sign of security.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-boyd/here-at-its-extremities-the-terrified-transients-gathered-gazing-out/) [William Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-boyd/) > [I guess I have always been deeply terrified to really be someones wife since I know from life one cannot love another, ever, really.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orebela-gbenga/i-guess-i-have-always-been-deeply-terrified-to-really-be-someones/) [Orebela Gbenga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orebela-gbenga/) > [As a female, you're always terrified that if you blow it, you've blown it for your whole gender.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kari-skogland/as-a-female-you-re-always-terrified-that-if-you-blow-it-you-ve-blown/) [Kari Skogland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kari-skogland/) > [I'm terrified of heights, but I think there's something really beautiful about birds and soaring, having a bird's-eye view of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindy-booth/i-m-terrified-of-heights-but-i-think-there-s-something-really/) [Lindy Booth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindy-booth/) > [When I went to Australia, I went shark diving. It was crazy. It was called 'extreme' shark diving because even though we were in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-lautner/when-i-went-to-australia-i-went-shark-diving-it-was-crazy-it-was/) [Taylor Lautner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-lautner/) [Browse all 1,049 Terrified quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrified/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“In a terrified world, false news was king.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen King" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/in-a-terrified-world-false-news-was-king/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Terrified" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/in-a-terrified-world-false-news-was-king/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82b/stephen-king-13_quote_in-a-terrified-world-false-news-was-king_873311.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82b/stephen-king-13_quote_in-a-terrified-world-false-news-was-king_873311.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82b/stephen-king-13_quote_in-a-terrified-world-false-news-was-king_873311.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In a terrified world, false news was king.” — Stephen King", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Stephen King", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“In a terrified world, false news...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/in-a-terrified-world-false-news-was-king/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/in-a-terrified-world-false-news-was-king/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```