War of the Worlds Scandal

Would the same panic occur if the War of the Worlds Scandal occurred today?

I do not believe that the same panic would occur today, especially in the more developed countries.  We are not as naïve as previous generations were and we have become more desensitized about certain things. Technology is so advanced now that we would be able to learn most, if not all of the details of an event within minutes of the occurrence.  There would be news feeds from many different news channels, radio stations and the internet.  I also think that since most people love the horror and gory movies, we would not become panicked so quickly.  Most people tend to disregard severe weather warnings of tornadoes and hurricanes.