
mid-October, two postal workers had died from anthrax exposure. Public
fears escalated into widespread panic. Media coverage was continuous and
heightened by reports that several high-profile individuals had been tar-
geted to receive anthrax-contaminated letters, including former NBC News
anchor Tom Brokaw, Senator Tom Daschle (D–SD), and Senator Patrick
Leahy (D–VT). By December 5, a total of twenty-two cases of anthrax had
been identified: eleven were confirmed as inhalation anthrax
6
and eleven
were cutaneous anthrax.
6
Most of the cases involved individuals who
worked at postal facilities in New Jersey and the District of Columbia,
where anthrax-contaminat ...