The correct answer is B. The newspaper account acted surprised by people's reactions.
At the very start of the radio program, Orson Welles had repeatedly mentioned that the said drama is a science fiction. The sci-fi radio drama was said to cause panic among many of their listeners because of its realistic script. Welles also thought there have been quite a percentage of the population who panicked It was also cited in New York Times, that people were in a mass panic because of the drama itself.