Terrorism and the Media

Terrorism and the Media

Introduction

Recent history suggests that terrorist organizations and the media have a symbiotic relationship. Some remarkable terrorist attacks indicate that the architects of terrorism have been exploiting the media for the benefits for information gathering, fundraising, recruitment and spreading propaganda (Powell, 2011). Whether it is a mass shooting, mass destruction of property or amateurish environmental group, terrorists have been using the same media-related goals to attract attention, a recognition even claiming legitimacy. In return, the media has received attention from the public and such important news usually earns it huge sales and audiences across the world. Media exclusively covers terrorist-related activities in the effort attracting eagerness of the public in following such events (Archetti, 2013). The paper seeks to explore how the media covers acts of terrorism and the ways terrorists benefit from the internet as well as media.

Terrorism and Media Relationship

In the current world, without media coverage and reporting, certain events and practices are assumed as a waste because it is barely known by the victims (Gialampoukidis et al., 2016, August). Studies suggest that most of the terrorists are more interested with the audience and not the victims and emphasis has been on how various people react towards the acts itself. Consequently, attracting the attention of the public, governments and media has been the primary focus of various terrorists in their global attacks. Terrorists are careful in selecting places in which they carry out their attacks and benefit through a wide range of media coverage. For instance, the 9/11 attacks gained a wide range of global media coverage with millions of people informed about the event almost immediately. Residents of New York City were able to document the terrorist incident with pictures and videos and this was one of the worst cases in history.

The major goal of terrorists is successfully carrying out their plans as well as winning the attention of the various public. They use the media to publish their motivation for violence, explain the rationale for terrorism and political causes as far as their sinister plans are concerned (Gialampoukidis et al., 2016, August). The media gives terrorists the same coverage as global leaders in terms of regular coverage and requests to speak out their plans and reasons why they intend for such a cause. It is good to say that media is used as a tool that legitimizes their acts as well as shrinking the power between them and various entities they are fighting against. Media reporting and coverage of terrorist acts usually creates an atmosphere of suspicion and fear that impacts the public in a negative manner (Pfeiffer, 2012). After an attack, terrorists take a few hours to claim responsibility for the attack using media and further threaten governments and people of other attacks in case their demands are not met.

Arguably, terrorists carry out various attacks on the public with the full awareness that they will influence enhanced media coverage in any country (Archetti, 2013). The media is used as a battlefield in which various battles are taking place to ensure their agenda and propaganda are known to the public. So to say, many terrorists can warn the public of an impending attack in various places and they can even state the date for such acts to take place. Following the death of Zarqawi, the Islamic State has increasingly been using social media in spreading propaganda, raising funds, recruiting their militia as well as assisting independent terrorists in carrying out their attacks. Al-Qaeda has most prominent members skilled in creating and spreading propaganda published in magazines and accessed freely online (Rosas, 2015). Additionally, they post pictures and videos online that are used to help as well as motivate other terrorists in connection to their activities.

Islamic extremists depend on the internet in spreading their threats and delivering certain information concerning their positions (Pfeiffer, 2012). Extremists in France have an online network known as Fachosphere with their manifesto as well as explaining their hideous deeds. In that line, white supremacists have online channels that seek to explain their intentions and ways of achieving their goals. Anders Behring Breivik had influenced the shooter of Christchurch after reading a manifesto sent to him through the email (Spencer, 2012). The United States has been working hard to stop terrorist propaganda online by spending millions of dollars but they have to change tactics that require more government attention.

Means of communication utilized by terrorists has been changing greatly because of technological advancements as well as changing audience behaviours (Archetti, 2013). Terrorist organizations have been using media tools with greater convenience to spur increased effectiveness and success of their plans. Advanced gadgets such as a mobile phone that enable individuals to conduct their online operations without them being noticed is one of the aspects that aid terrorists to increasingly use media for their convenience. The emerging media makes it easier for terrorists to publicize their messages to the world through websites and their discretion and this allows for the dissemination of information to the intended people (Pfeiffer, 2012). The internet replaced print media and this allowed the terrorists to take photos, videos and messages online that has a global reach (Patrick, 2014). Indeed, the internet has increased the scope of terrorist propaganda and activities and it has become a tool for improving their operational tactics and goals.

Terrorists also use other forms of media apart from social media in ensuring their missions and goals have been achieved (Tinnes, 2013). They use DVDs, audiocassettes and popular music that are underestimated as old media to underscore their objectives. However, most of the terrorists embrace new media technology to keep in the pace of knowing the latest development and ensure their message can reach thousands of other people globally. Having the latest forms of communication and technology is critical in receiving money and other important resources from their sponsors spread around the world (Nacos, 2016). Terrorists need media in the effort of receiving free publicity for their operations, achieve enhanced recognition, sending messages as well as legitimizing their operations.

Media – Terrorism Coverage

Terrorism activities are an avenue to the media because a wide range coverage thus increasing organizational profits (Rosas, 2015). Terrorism has several aspects that make it attractive for the public such as human tragedy, drama, and shocking footage among others. Another major reason is that being confined to the television in following certain news as it happens from various terrorists implies that media organizations are gaining mileage in terms of increased profits as well as popularity. The media enjoy and like reporting terrorism activities through radio and television channels because the news is shocking and many people need to see or listen to keep them updated (Powell, 2011). Media organizations compete in reporting terrorism-related cases to ensure their audiences are kept captivated, increasing their circulations, boosting their ratings as well as increasing profits.

Scholars have observed that the major reason for increased irresponsibility in the part of media as well as making huge profits is through lack of professionalism (Tinnes, 2013). In many media organizations, top executives are currently coming from the corporate world and not journalists. Therefore, the lack of professional journalism training and associated ethos makes them focus on top topics and not the required content. Many media organizations have been warned against airing disturbing content concerning blood, dead bodies and other shocking picture but they continue doing so claiming media independence (Spencer, 2012). Terrorist organizations become happy when the media is adept in broadcasting their content thus attaching meaning to their acts and operations.

Media coverage of terrorist acts may be assumed as a normal event but the most shocking things of all are the lies associated with their reporting (Spencer, 2012). It is a common understanding that the media have turned to write sensational and attention-seeking stories on terrorism and their associated risks. Repeating the same images repeatedly have dire consequences on the mental health of many people, especially those affected. Media is known for traumatizing the audience through exaggerating the terrorist threats and over-reporting of the case like in the case of 9/11. In many occasions, the media has been blamed for enhancing politics of fear as their dominant motif for new and other cultures (Nacos, 2016). Therefore, media reporting concerning terrorism is closely associated with victimization and the narratives that spread fear, danger and crime among other things.

Understanding the way media portrays terrorist-related events requires one to focus on some of the medium employed in disseminating this king of information (Rosas, 2015). The media is popular in framing and setting agenda in stating certain issues that are more important compared to others. The theory of agenda-setting indicates that the more attention the media pays for certain actions, the more importance the public attributes to such issues whenever they happen. On the other hand, framing entails of selecting some aspects that are distinguished as a reality and making more salient communication through promoting the definition of the problem and other critical evaluations considered important by an individual (Nellis & Savage, 2012). The media has personnel with smart ideas and knowledge that can make to distinguish the rest of the public that certain information is deemed accurate and to the truth, although causing political conflicts.

After the 9/11 attack, the media played a crucial role in spreading propaganda that the Muslims and Arabs were apprehended as either potential terrorists or suppliers of oil (Gialampoukidis et al., 2016, August). The Muslim and Arabs understood the media as organizations comprising of professionals whose major objective is reporting about the Islamic world in various aspects. The media was so fast in reporting the 9/11 attacks in a problematic way implying that it was an attack from Islam world against America and it was like every Arab or Muslim was aware of the attack. The major cause of media coverage was terrorism but the media short-changed the narrative and started to dwell on perpetrators making the public to react badly against the Arabs and Muslims. The media negatively influenced the public perception and view off various acts and this resulted in a chaotic scenario that ended up making many people affiliated with Islam to suffer (Patrick, 2014). The media framing focused on the ethnic and religious lining to attack and kill innocent Americans.

Considering the 9/11 and other associated terror attacks, the media stands at a place of profiting because of the sensational way of framing these new as they happen (Patrick, 2014). Researchers have always questioned the medium used by the media arguing that they may be directly or indirectly serve the core interests of the terrorists in making their stories attention and sensation seeking. The major focus of the terrorists is for the public to know their intentions and actions felt by the larger population. The media has emerged as the medium through which their stories and scenes are reaching the public thus helping them to achieve its prime goal in the market (Powell, 2011). Additionally, the obsession and bias of the media in making terrorism so attractive is one way it promoting the agenda as well as intentions of the terrorists in spreading political fear and making the ground for further recruitment and propaganda setting.

It is clear to say, the major goal and objective of the terrorists are related to agenda-setting and framing that ensues the media covers stories and news that are crucial to their operations (Amble, 2012). Some media organization have developed relationships with terrorist groups and thus used to convey messages of fear and sometimes propaganda to governments, organizations and sometimes people. Shockingly, some journalists can access terrorist groups in their operations and places of hiding to cover exclusive news and footage that are made public by the same media. Some scholars point out that the better terrorists understand some mechanisms behind media, the more coverage they are bound to receive in a way of making enhanced publicity and showcases (Nacos, 2016). The 9/11 terror attack explains the intentions of media and the perceptions of terrorists to various media houses in making their case known to many people.

World Trade Center Terror Attack and the Media

Without any doubt, the terrorist attack of the World Trade Center in 9/11 was shocking and attracted global attention due to its massive destruction and death of people (Amble, 2012). The news dominated world news with the public glued to their televisions and radios in the effort of following how various events happened. On the other hand, terrorists were aware of the fact that their actions affected as they wished and thousands of Americans were to die. The attack caused a tremendous effect on the United States economy and the image of the United States was slightly tarnished due to increased cases and assumptions o insecurity (Nellis & Savage, 2012). The global media fabricated news and some time went to seek the hideouts of Osama and his followers to get the full story to make it public.

The media response in the United States has been far from being calm, objective as well prudent (Patrick, 2014). Media in the United States and all over the world were calling for action against mainly the Arabs and Muslims and they were crying for revenge as terrorists planned for the event so meticulously (Powell, 2011). Several media houses focused on supporting patriotic discourse and policies as framed by President George W. Bush who was leading the country against forces of political issues in the country. The public in the United States and around the world was changed dramatically by the media while perceiving people and other cases as being terrorists (Yarchi et al., 2013). In the united states, the Muslims and Arabs were attacked frequently in their places of worship with the rioting public claiming they were planning for another attack.

Ethnic minorities suspected to be terrorist threat were forced to remain indoors because of increased pressure from the larger public (Amble, 2012). Media in the country was saturated with the discourse of fear because terrorism was real and many people focused on other sides for their safety and homage. The 9/11 terror attack was used by the political class and media in spreading propaganda and fear-related agendas that affected the larger public. Many citizens in the United States have emerged to secure safety from the police required to permit police searches action and searches as well as seeking crime prevention efforts in the country (Nellis & Savage, 2012). Many organization were improved their surveillance both in electronic and other causes in the effort of achieving increased safety. Muslim and Arabs lost jobs in various organizations because of fear of attack among other things.

Perpetrators and architects of the 9/11 achieved their media-related goals by conveying messages of fear and propaganda. The United States became vulnerable to terror attacks that could result in harming the public from planned deadly attacks. The terrorists succeeded in ensuring that the United States government was completely submerged in global information concerned with terror-related issues (Yarchi et al., 2013). Terrorists are pretty aware of the media role in making their news so sensational and making the public aware of the inner stories that cause public uproar and fear. International media channels such as CNN have a global reach thus attracting attention and this made them gain legitimacy in the eyes of supporters.

Conclusion and Recommendations

The media should be conscious of its irresponsibility to the public when reporting as well as helping to achieve their sinister goals in the world (Nellis & Savage, 2012). The media need to focus on presenting both sides of terrorist stories accurately and fairly without any bias. Giving information as the events take place helps the audience in the global sphere to make their opinions independently. The media should be objective and being balanced in making their coverage by making speculations and dramatization.

Media desecuritization. Media is tasked with reporting various events as they unfold to the public but they are not supposed to frame the stories in a wrong way. The media should reevaluate their role and change the way of reporting various events connected to terrorism-related events (Patrick, 2014). The media should at all times focus on adopting desecuritized terrorism-related events through being more responsible and being less sensational on these cases.

Information warfare is one of the crucial parts of terrorism and the major role of terrorists is getting to the point of misinforming the public over their operations. They focus on creating a fearful environment saturated with suspicion and propaganda for governments, organizations as well as the public (Nacos, 2016). The media is challenged to give most factual, balanced and clearest information concerning terrorist-related issues that happen around the world.

The internet has emerged as a central site where terrorists are using to make their agenda and influence globally. Communication of oppressive and violent groups has entirely relied on the use of the internet and social media. Terrorists are currently using the internet to spread words of hate, fear, fundraising as well as recruiting their militia (Powell, 2011). The government and leading organizations dedicated to anti-cyber-terrorism should focus on increasing focus on censorship among other things.

References

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