NCJ Number
101521
Date Published
1986
Length
6 pages
Annotation
The media find terrorism a sensational news story and are therefore inclined to overreport it, write admiringly of the terrorists daring, and exaggerate the terrorist action's significance.
Abstract
In their coverage of terrorist incidents, the media unwittingly assist the terrorists in three ways: (1) by spreading anxiety and fear throughout the society, (2) by providing a forum for the terrorists to disseminate their views to a wide audience, and (3) by bestowing respectability and legitimacy on the terrorist group's philosophy and goals. In addition to these problems, there have been incidents in which media coverage has hampered the efforts of authorities. Media attitudes that have contributed to these problems include an exaggeration of the necessary antagonism in government-press relations, unilateral liberalism of the media, and personal and professional competitiveness within the media. Changes in these attitudes could result in changes in media coverage, thus contributing to the defeat of terrorism.