Complex sentence: The public's reaction to the photos was similar to the reaction to Orson Welles' broadcast of War of the Worlds, even with the immediate statement from the Pennsylvania Game Commission that they believed it was a bear with mange.
Split into simpler sentences: The public's reaction to the photos was similar to the Orsen Wells radio program War of the Worlds. Even with the immediate statement from the Pennsylvania Game Commission that they believed it was a bear with mange.