This chapter discusses the role of media in constructing social realities around terrorism. It explores the tension between security forces and media in their competing aims of public safety and free press. The chapter also examines how terrorists and governments both seek to manipulate media frames to their advantage, given media's power to influence perceptions. Debates around bias, propaganda, censorship, and balancing civil liberties with security are also covered.

1. Chapter 4
Babette Protz
University of
South
Carolina
Lancaster
TERRORISM AND THE
MEDIA

2. LEARNING OBJECTIVES: CHAPTER 4
 Discuss the role of the media in constructing social
reality.
 Explain the tension between security forces and the
media.
 Describe how the media can be viewed as a
weapon.
 Explain how news frames are used present a story.
 Describe the special relationship between terrorism
and television.
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3. LEARNING OBJECTIVES: CHAPTER 4
 Explain how the Internet has impacted terrorism.
 Summarize various positions about bias in the news
media.
 Define the contagion effect.
 Debate the issues of freedom of the press and
censorship.
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4. PASSING OF STORIES
 This is the way human beings share stories; it is not
merely the product of entertaining fiction.
 Consider the following videos.
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5. PASSING OF STORIES
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=gcdnf0Ckxmc&feature=related
 United 93 (2006) hijacking ending scene
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=bA_2teLmm1Q&feature=player_embedded
 World Trade Center (Movie) - WTC collapse
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6. PASSING OF STORIES
Discussion:
 Considering there were no survivors from the crash of United
93, a lot of creative license was taken to create the film. Do
you view this film as a tribute or chance for financial gain?
 The attack on and the collapse of the WTC were shown
repeatedly for a number of days. This film, like the previous
film dramatized the tragedy. Do you think the film should
have been made?
 How do the films clips change your view of terrorism?
Support your position.
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7. MEDIA MISCONCEPTIONS
 Media’s presentation of terrorism is dominated by
several simplified stories, presented on 24 hour
cable news networks
 Media exaggerates the threat of WMD
 Media uses simple catchphrases to popularize a
point
 “Broken borders”
 “War on terrorism”
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8. MEDIA OF TERRORISM
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5Xrob_IBy0
Discussion:
 What were your thoughts on this video clip? Do you see
this as promoting one-sided thought or providing valuable
information?
 Could this be viewed as propaganda increasing fear of
terrorism? Support your position.
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9. MEDIA AND SECURITY FORCES
 Media social constructions often run counter to
governmental objectives and policies
 Police and military perceive themselves to be the
forceful extension of democracy
 They think reporters are only trying to gather
sensationalistic stories
 Embedded reporters
 Pentagon invited journalists to join combat units
 The results were partially realized
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10. MEDIA AS A WEAPON
 Terrorists recognize the power of the media as a
weapon
 Ayman al Zawahiri
 Jihadists are keenly aware of the media’s ability to
influence the social construction of reality
 They seek legitimacy for their movement
 They want to spread their message and increase
sympathy for their militant interpretation of religion
 Their opponents are targeted for intimidation
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11. NEWS FRAMES
 Reporting patterns are packaged in segments called
news frames
 Purpose is to assemble words and pictures to create a
pattern surrounding an event
 Creates a narrative for a deadly drama
 Characters are introduced, heroes and villains are
defined, and victims become the suffering innocents
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12. NEWS FRAMES
 News frames help “mediatize” the presentation of
terrorism
 Media shapes the way an event is communicated
 News frame is one of the least understood aspects
of broadcast journalism because its complexity
goes unnoticed
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13. TYPES OF FRAMES
Reporting frame
Dominant frame
Conflict frame
Contention frame
Investigative frame
Mythic frame
Campaigning frame
Reportage frame
Community service
frame
Collective interest
frame
Cultural recognition
frames
Mythic tales frames
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14. BEATING THE WAR DRUM
 American television presented only one news frame
after 9/11
 Patterning the attack as a clash of civilizations
 Suggesting that only a military response would stop future
attacks
 Television called in a variety of terrorism experts
who reflected the single view
 Radio was even worse, engaging in sensationalistic
propaganda
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15. OLYMPIC PARK BOMBING MEDIA
LEAKS
 http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/ParkB
Discussion Question:
 The video addresses First Amendment rights in regard to
rights of the media. Do you agree or disagree the media
should have free reign over broadcasting information
leaked to them on an ongoing investigation.
 Consider what could be considered as “trial by media” in
regard to Richard Jewell – hero – suspect – innocent.
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16. BEATING THE WRONG DRUM
 Focus is improperly centered on military and law
enforcement action overseas
 Media has virtually ignored domestic security
issues
 Nacos’s study
 American news media did not believe there was a need to
focus on domestic security
 Televisions’ preference for sensational events
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17. INFOTAINMENT TELESECTOR
 Barber calls the twenty-four-hour news networks the
infotainment telesector
 Media flourishes on one overriding factor: entertainment
 The infotainment telesector is not geared for depth;
it is designed to create revenue
 Negative effect on homeland security
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18. TELEVISION DRAMA
 Control of the drama pattern was held in a Western
monopoly until recently
 Al Manar television presented a sympathetic view of the al
Asqa uprising
 Television makes the viewing audience participants
in a terrorist attack
 Television seeks drama, and terrorism provides an
unfolding dramatic event
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19. GENDER STEREOTYPES
 Television tends to portray women as minor figures
in the male-dominated occupation
 Nacos presents several images created by television
news frames:
 Physical appearance frame
 Family connection frame
 Terrorist for the sake of love
 Women's lib frame
 Women as bored, frustrated housewives
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20. MEDIA OWNERSHIP
 Edward Herman (1999) focuses on the social
construction of reality and political bias
 American media is part of a vast propaganda machine
promoting values and goals of corporations
 David Baron (2004) takes a different approach,
suggesting that bias appears on two levels
 Individual discretion of the reporter
 Public’s desire for the most captivating story
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21. MUNICH (MOVIE TRAILER)
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7-
WvfWXn7U&list=LPO8kMfXOdUFU&index=5&featur
e=plcp
 Discussion:
 In the video it is noted that the media was broadcasting everything
that was going on in real time – allowing the terrorists to watch police
movements.
 What are your thoughts in regard to this?
 Does it surprise you that media was active in covering a terrorist attack in 1972?
 Should the games have continued?
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22. STEREOTYPES
 Large groups of people are portrayed without depth
in American television
 Media is spreading incorrect information about
terrorists
 Richard Miniter (2005) identifies 22
misconceptions about terrorism accepted as truth
by most newspapers, magazines, and broadcasters
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23. INTERNET AND TERRORISM
 Steganography
 Embedding hidden information in a picture, message, or
another piece of information
 Message can be encrypted, placed in plain text in a
hidden file, or sent on a covert channel
 Recruiting and training
 Salafi-jihadists using Web sites and e-mail to make
training manuals available
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24. AS SAHAAB VERSUS AL HURRA
 Al Qaeda’s underground video network, known as
As Sahaab, wages an effective propaganda
campaign using the Internet
 In response, the US launched al Hurra, an Arabic-language
24 hour satellite station
 Results have been disappointing
 United States has yet to capitalize on the Internet for
spreading propaganda
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25. MEDIA OWNERSHIP
 Tim Groseclose and Jeffrey Milyo (2005) stated that
the American media has a liberal bias
 Fouzi Slisli (2000) says that the American media is
full of oversimplifications and stereotypes
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26. MINITER’S MEDIA MYTHS
 Miniter believes that all media serve as a source of
disinformation
 The primary reasons are sloppy reporting, editors
who fail to check facts, and rumors that are
accepted as truth
 Many of these media-based “truths” cannot stand
the test of investigation
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27. THE CONTAGION EFFECT
 Some analysts wonder if media coverage inspires
more terrorism
 Many researcher believe that the fear generated by
media reporting is contagious
 Anthrax attack
 Madrid commuter train bombing
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28. CENSORSHIP
 Paul Wilkinson (1997) believes that governments
face three choices when it comes to maintaining
freedom of the press and combating terrorism:
 Laissez-faire attitude
 Censorship
 Media self regulation
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29. CENSORSHIP DEBATE
 Democracy is threatened when the government
openly censors information
 Censorship could do more to damage freedom than the
terrorist attacks themselves
 Others believe that in times of emergency,
information must be controlled to ensure the
survival of the state
 America was fighting a new type of war and some form of
censorship was required
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30. CHAPTER TAKE AWAYS
 Television and other media shape the way we view
terrorism.
 This creates quite a bit of controversy about the role
of the media in reporting terrorism, and it frequently
pits reporters against security forces.
 All sides try to manipulate the media because of its
extensive power.
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31. CHAPTER TAKE AWAYS
 This means that there is extensive competition for
presenting a point of view and a news frame, and it
leads to charges of biases from all sides.
 This is especially true in television because
terrorism is a made-for-television drama.
 Some scholars have called for limited censorship
because the media is so powerful.
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