NCJ Number
150794
Date Published
1994
Length
213 pages
Annotation
This annotated bibliography documents relevant studies and articles that pertain to media coverage of terrorism.
Abstract
The book is targeted toward researchers and educators, as well as policy makers, law enforcement experts, psychologists, and students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The studies and articles included in the bibliography show that terrorism attracts media attention and that, in fact, the explosive nature of terrorist incidents translates into attractive headlines for the evening news and the morning papers. The authors contend that one of the most telling indications of the media's influence on audiences is that journalists have succeeded in converting their perceptions of terrorism into generally accepted public opinion to the extent that most Americans believe that terrorism emanates from the Middle East. Among the issues raised here are examples of the slanted media interpretation of political violence, the quality of reporting on terrorism, the media's inability to uncover terrorist activity, and the factors that precipitate the descriptive labeling of terrorists. Following an introductory chapter, the annotated selections included here are concern the overall phenomenon of terrorism, ways in which the electronic media cover terrorism, and the relationship of the print media and terrorism. Chapter references