Clerks fear losing their jobs, women fear losing their men, men fear losing their women. The girl selling pantyhose is afraid of the owner of the tent getting sweaty hands, and he’s afraid she’ll steal from him. An Uzbek man fears a skinhead and a cop, and a cop fears both of them. The people fear oligarchs and their own government, and the government fears the people. They also fear the financial crisis, bird flu, rising gasoline prices, the expansion of NATO, war, and world terrorists. And finally, together—yes, including world terrorists—they all fear oil prices falling and vodka disappearing from the shelves. And no one knows what they fear more.
Only the media doesn’t fear anyone or anything. Because the media has no one and nothing except itself—and partly its audience.