Terrorism and the Media

The media's effect on terrorism

  The media reporting of violence has detrimental effects. It is important to note that the media does not primarily cause terrorism but it influences the spread of terrorism (Slocum, 2005). According to the contagious theory, terrorists use the media to provoke terror, gain followers, spread information and draw attention. They also use the media to express their political grievances. Without media coverage, terrorists would not build their presence in the public (Slocum, 2005). Therefore, terrorists say that the media help them greatly in that there are able to rescue mission. The contagious theory states that media promotes the terrorist activities through;  creating public exposure, informing other terrorists the tactics and strategies that a particle group is using, and providing a legitimate reason for the violence. Note that when the news is being reported, terrorists benefit in that the incidents are made alive and they also gain greater support and motivation to commit further violence (Slocum, 2005). Another important point is that when reporting the news, the journalists use a sympathetic tone and criticize the public officials.  In other words, journalists report the political objectives and motives of the terrorist and as terrorists watch the news, they increase morale and advance their acts of terrorism using new tactics (Slocum, 2005). It is also important to understand that both the media and the terrorist groups expect to gain something from the other. For example, the media informs the public about the incident and the end result are to increase audiences and make profits.  On the other hand, the terrorist groups hope to gain publicity, a sense of power, and expects the media to magnify their strength.

Impact of media coverage on public perceptions

 In essence, the government provides an immediate response to terrorist incidents so that the public can build trust and gain a perception that the government is exerting control and using justice.  However, when it comes to media coverage, the media affects the public perception of the terrorist groups to an extent that the public perceives that terrorist group engages in violence due to political, racial, and social reasons (Slocum, 2005). When the public watches the news, they conclude that there must be a problem and both the media and the international institution should have solved the problem to prevent violence.  This is because, in reporting the news, the media focus on the sensational aspects of the crime rather than giving a full explanation of the incident. In addition, the media legitimizes the violence and challenge the existing authority. They justify the crimes and the public believes that the government should take repressive measures and create coercive policies to prevent terrorism (Slocum, 2005). The media tends to support the terrorists' credibility or the problem that motivated the group to engage in violence.  For example, in 1980, the Iraq-trained terrorist captured the Iranian embassy in London and five terrorists were killed (Slocum, 2005). The Canadian news coverage reported the incidence and several studies show that the news reports informed the public about the credibility and legitimacy of the state violence.

Four force multipliers

Terrorists use four force multipliers to strengthen their operations.  For example, the organization use technology- terrorists are using technology to employ tactics, and modern weapons to cause mass destruction. The second force multiplier is transnational support-this force contributes to the success of the operations in that it enables terrorists to create group ties and members are able to move from one nation to another (White, 2011). The third is media coverage- the media presents a message and a report that gives transitional support to both major and minor groups. The fourth force is religious fanaticism-terrorists justifies their violent acts using scriptures and this increases violence.

An actual real-life terrorist attack involves Al Qaeda and the use of technology as a force multiplier. The group used communication technology (internet) on September 11, 2001, to exchange communications, to research chemical weapons, and to track news coverage. Before the attack, Al-Qaeda planned the event and promotes its ideology using the internet (White, 2011). The communication technology helped the terrorists identify the potential target, use effective weapons, and pursue their objectives.

 

References

 

 

Slocum, J. D. (2005). Terrorism, media, liberation. New Brunswick, N.J: Rutgers University

Press.

White R. Jonathan. (2011). Terrorism and Homeland Security. Cengage Learning