FUD

FUD, I never heard this term used before, which is surprising after Y2K, the Bush invasion of Iraq, attack on Obama as a socialist, Obamacare, and now the fiscal cliff.

Fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD), is a tactic used in sales, marketing, public relations, politics and propaganda. FUD is generally a strategic attempt to influence perception by disseminating negative and dubious or false information. An individual firm, for example, might use FUD to invite unfavorable opinions and speculation about a competitor's product; to increase the general estimation of switching costs among current customers; or to maintain leverage over a current business partner who could potentially become a rival. The term originated to describe disinformation tactics in the computer hardware industry but has since been used more broadly.  FUD is a manifestation of the appeal to fear.

I ran across it in Comments following an article about computer hardware.  The commenter referenced it as a Fox News tactic when he mentioned FUD. Amen to that.  After reading Fox News for a couple of years, I have begun to wonder if Joseph Goebbels wasn’t the editor.  Fox News has become the political version of the National Inquirer.