For the McMartin Pre-School Trial, what was at the time the longest and most expensive criminal trial in US history, Kee McDaniel interviewed alleged victims by asking them leading questions, praising them for the "right" answers and chiding them for the "wrong" answers. And naturally, when a kid says they've been abused, most of our reactions, especially if we're a parent, is to believe the child. They wouldn't make something like that up! And they're correct, they wouldn't. But kids want validation, and when you tell them they've been abused and praise them for saying so you increase the chances of getting bad information.
We do call it the Satanic Panic because a key feature was the idea of groups engaging in ritual abusive behavior mostly directed at children. And when you tell parents their kids are in danger they tend to listen. Even if they weren't worried about Satan, they were worried their kids might not be safe at school or playgrounds. I used to make fun of Patricia Pulling, but the more I learned about her the more her story just made me sad. This was a woman who lost her child in a most horrible fashion and was trying to find an explanation. She bought into a lie.