Terrorism Is Not Affected by Media Coverage (From Urban Terrorism, P 109-115, 1996, A E Sadler and Paul A Winters, eds. - - See NCJ-167808)

• NCJ Number: 167826
• Author(s): J D Simon
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 7 pages
• Sale Source: Greenhaven Press
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Although some terrorist groups deliberately commit acts of violence to gain the world's attention, most find publicity inconsequential or even detrimental to their cause; on the other hand, government officials, as part of their counterterrorism strategy, sometimes encourage the media to convey a sense of "crisis" surrounding terrorist acts.

Abstract

There are several prevailing myths about terrorist-media interaction. The first myth is that most terrorists try to use the media to their advantage; in fact only some terrorist groups consciously use the media in an effort to achieve their goals. Media exposure for terrorists can carry risks of identification, potential capture, and possible interference or distraction in future operations. The second myth about terrorism and the media is that the media foster images of "crisis" over terrorism. Although the media will seek statements from government officials and the president during terrorist episodes, they will also be the recipients of unsolicited information that the administration believes might be useful in resolving the incident. The third myth concerning media behavior during terrorism incidents is that the media can limit a president's options in responding to terrorism. Indeed it has been the presidents themselves, particularly Carter and Reagan, who made the hostage issue a "personal" drama for themselves and for the country. The fourth myth is that the media help prolong terrorist episodes by giving the terrorist continuing and widespread publicity. An analysis of terrorist incidents, however, shows that the amount of publicity that the media give to any particular terrorist event has little impact on its duration. Terrorists may prolong or end a terrorist episode for a variety of reasons, including their perceptions of the degree of success or failure in having their demands met, pressure from third parties or state sponsors, fatigue, or other factors related to the politics of the country or region where the incident is occurring.