No, it's the Conspiracy Theorists who peddle the paranoia.

Frankly the fearmongering carried out by establishment figures is usually more unfounded and more ludicrious than anything I have read on the web. Not to mention that nobody stands to gain in any way by stating their beliefs about things like 'extraterrestrials', right or wrong.

However, contrary to the usual accusation of 'those crazy people on the Internet', the crazy paranoia sold by our government and ruling class, causing fearmongering relating to topics such as terrorism, pandemics, guns, small crime, and certain environmental crises including 'manmade' global warming, is much much worse for a couple of reasons:

1. There is almost always naked self-interest in creating panic. Compare this to anything you read from allegedly fearmongering sources on the web...although there will always be disinformation or incorrect information, broad scams are much harder to pull off due to the decentralised, diverse nature of the Internet media...

2. People look up to establishment media as an authoritative source, and are therefore more likely to fall for what is said (thankfully less so today, since many are becoming aware that these people sometimes lie blatantly to get what they want)

A good example of mainstream media being openly used to push government-corporate interests is the whole scam over Swine Flu gonna get ya, millions are gonna die, unless you stick this needle in your arm and then you'll be safe. Naked self-interest. UN, WHO and complicit Media push vaccination, people and governments buy vaccines, big drug companies suckle on the profits.

By contrast, the web was awash with speculation and general (not necessarily unhealthy) paranoia about what was in the vaccine, was it possible to use wider needles to inject microchips into people, the ever present threat of using the pandemic as a justification for martial law, what happens if vaccination is forced, was the vaccine a bioweapon (well all vaccines are bioweapons, but you know what I mean), was the pandemic going to lead to WHO/UN intervention in the affairs of individual nations, etc.

I do not understand the people who are repulsed by 'all that paranoia' on the Internet. People are not perfect. You've got to understand that when you have been spoonfed cosy sleepwalking state propaganda for years, having to switch on your critical brain again is not an easy task. There are always mistakes. MSM mistakes and omissions are doublethink'd away and to their zombified viewers never existed, while mistakes made by web warriors are fully visible, on record for all to see (though, thankfully, the web is also a fine record of MSM mistakes, omissions, and lies).

Also, there is a very positive reason why one should always start with the worst when it comes to things their government may be doing.
- Historical precedent. Did you know government is the leading cause of unnatural death? That governments killed around 200 million of their own people in the 20th century? (there are varying estimates but 200m is good enough for me) High crimes committed by authority are still routine...just not as overt or bloody as they used to be.
- Preventative measure. If the worst is discussed, and the wider public becomes somewhat aware of the potential issue, then that helps prevent the worst from happening.

Anyway, this was inspired by two articles that hopefully you will see fit together with this opinion piece:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financetopics/oilprices/7203172/Britain-faces-oil-crunch-within-five-years-Richard-Branson-warns.html

http://www.infowars.com/warning-signs-of-impending-olympic-attack/