Causes Of Transnational Terrorism

The terms terrorism and domestic terrorism are very similar concepts. There are, however, slight differences in each. Entities that are apart of the Government have slightly different ways of explaining what they believe to be the correct definition of terrorism and domestic terrorism. In this paper the author will offer definitions of the two terms and state which one they agree with the most. The author will also state how the two terms are best differentiated.

The methods that people nowadays use to get news of any kind, whether it be sports, weather, or global, have changed drastically from the time where news was only available through newspapers and radio stations. Regarding terrorism, the media is the only source of information, unless it is a primary account of a soldier who had been at war. However, the media is able to manipulate any story to make someone or something either look good or bad. This is exactly what happened after the occurrence of 9/11. The media, along with the government, caught the wave of nationalism sweeping across the country and built news stories favoring America. For example, not many people talk about how the American government in 1990, intervened in the Middle East after Iraq invaded Kuwait, which could be a possible cause for the attacks of 9/11. This event and many other instances of American intervention in the Middle East have been swept under the rug by the U.S. government through the media. These incidences were all put forth as necessary steps to protect “our” best interests in the region. John Steinbrink, a professor of education and Jeremy Cook, a doctoral candidate at Oklahoma State University, used the media’s coverage of the aftermath of 9/11 as an example for education in media literacy, which is “the ability to read, understand, and interpret the influence of all forms of media in one’s life” (284). Using

Attacks receive more coverage when they harm or kill victims, involve hijackings or aircraft, have known perpetrators, and select targets associated with Western countries. A study of transnational terrorism shows that attacks that inflict injuries are twice as likely to attract media attention as those that do not. The attacks in which the perpetrator can be identified are four times as likely to be reported in a newspaper and ten times as likely to be reported on television (The Media’s Role in International Terrorsim). Attacks in the Middle East or Europe are twice as likely to receive media attention as attacks perpetrated in Latin America (The Media’s Role in International Terrorism). There are very similar factors that influence media coverage of attacks that take place within the United States.

The overwhelming majority of the world’s nations, including United States are signatories to at least one international agreement that condemns terrorism. The question comes to mind as why terrorism is growing and not coming to an end, and what are the intentions of the terrorist groups. There are many factors in the development of domestic terrorisms, however, there are several causes on the growing terrorism and there is a need to find the principal factors responsible for causing this growing threat. In addition, it is important to save the world and to save our next generation from being victims in the hands of terrorism. Many are the risk factors involved in the development of domestic terrorism. Additionally, it is important to remember that terrorism is a tactic practiced by people from a wide array of ethnic and religious backgrounds who follow various ideologies extending from anarchism to

Ever since the tragic terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 the media’s top priority every day is covering any and all terrorism. By all acounts, 9-11 remains the single most deadly attack ever on American soil, however terror attacks declined over the last twenty years. Despite the decline in terror activity, media coverage continues to report at an all-time high. Thus, every major news entity worldwide continually provides around the clock terrorism coverage. Deadly carnage streams on a time loops constantly, gruesome amputations and gun shot wounds appear on tvs around the world. The grotesque footage decencitizes millions of people and promotes and kind of glamourizes terrorism. The tv coverage causes wide spread fear, panic, and

“The media’s the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that’s power. Because they control the minds of the masses,” were the words of Malcolm X during his famed 1963 speech. Many believe this quote has lost relevance in our contemporary society. However, on the contrary, it rings more true than ever. One popular topic that has had an extreme influence on our society due to the way the media portrays it is terrorism. Whether it is a tragic event such as 9/11 or simply the way it portrays Muslims, the media tends to sensationalize the fear and tragedy of such events to increase publicity while also depicting all terrorists as Muslim

Domestic terrorism is the commission of terrorist assaults in a state by people living in a country. In the United States, this form terrorism is an irregularity that seriously treated as a crime. This kind of terrorism entails viciousness against civilian populace or foundation of a country regularly however not by natives of that country and frequently with the aim to threaten, constrain, or influence national policy. In the course of recent years, domestic terrorism has been experienced globally. This has turned to be a threat to the security of common citizens and government officials as they are the targets of domestic terrorists. This paper examines domestic terrorism in terms of the cause, strategy, and the global assessment of bias to United States situation and other countries.

Terrorism has grown dramatically since September 11. Many aspects can influence or help a terrorist organization plan an attack. First, is the media, which is a social construction of terrorism. The media does not cause terrorism; however, it does enhance its power. I have studied the amount and types of coverage certain-terrorist related incidents receive, and the results came to indicate that not that many terrorism incidents receive coverage in the news. However, those that are linked to domestic terrorist group, and when hijacking is used as a tactic, then they are significantly more likely to be featured not only in the news, but in articles and newspapers as well. One thing one must not forget is that terrorism is a social problem

After the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in 2001, media coverage throughout the United States was very opinionated in the reporting of the events, which caused many Americans to be immersed in a “culture of fear” (Asmal 40). In such cases of terrorism, the social role of media should be to calm the citizens and establish a sense of identity that leads them on a path of restoration to a normal life. However, media coverage after 9/11 was heavily invested in the results and trauma of the situation that it did not support Americans to adjust back to their lives, but rather influenced their attitude towards the actions of the terrorists. The way that mainstream media portrayed the danger of terrorism from the September 11 attacks caused Americans to attribute the terroristic actions of a select few who practice Islam with the entire community of Muslims. News reports of Muslim terrorist activity have caused Americans to deeply believe and see all “Muslims as domestic terrorists” (Council on American-Islamic Relations [CAIR] 45). A factor that contributes to this may be the unproportionate reporting of news related to domestic terrorists and Muslims. A 2014 study by the Journal of Communication indicated that out of the total amount of domestic terrorist news reports published, eighty-one percent of the reports were identified to be connected with a Muslim. In comparison, only six percent of total domestic terrorists in the United States, as reported by the Federal Bureau of Investigation within the same timespan, identified as Muslims (CAIR 45). The difference in the percentages between the media and actual data is shocking and reflects on the inaccuracy and bias of news coverage. In fact, the inadequate coverage of terrorism in Western countries has also contributed to the mere publicity of the terrorists

The event of 9/11 is the most publicized and dramatized terrorist attack in the world. For the past 15years the style and means the media report terrorist attacks has been mostly beneficial to the terrorist the media instigate fear in the public. The public depends on the news most especially social media like Facebook, Twitter and also Television for information about the crisis at hand and instruction about what to

When reporting on terrorism, the media function as a double-edged sword. They assure terrorists that their grievances will receive public attention; yet they also can mobilize public opinion against the arbitrary use of violence by stripping terrorism of its "romantic veneer" and exposing its violent underpinnings to public scrutiny.20 ' The proposed general industry guidelines should minimize the harms from publicizing terrorist events while maximizing the speech interests vital to a democratic society (Moffitt, 1998). In previous decades, the journalistic mission was to report the news as it actually happened, with fairness, balance, and integrity; Profit gaining motives associated with journalism have forced much of today's television news to look to the spectacular, the stirring, and the controversial as news stories. It's no longer a race to break the story first or get the facts right. Instead, it's to acquire good ratings in order to get advertisers, so that profits soar. The goals of terrorists are not solely confined to winning the attention of the masses. In addition to that, through the media, they aim to publicize their political causes, inform both friends and foes about the motives for terrorist deeds, and explain their rationale for resorting to violence

It is claimed that the relationship between terrorism and media is well-researched. It is suggested that in Spencer, A. (2012) researchers struggled in this central question. The focus upon how the western world portrays the information of terrorist related incidents. It has been identified in Spencer, A. (2012) that the fear or terrorism needs to be displayed over social media for example. The terrorist wants not just their victims to suffer. The result of the wider world and the public being informed allows the pressures of insecurity within the public perception. One quote which makes sense of this statement is the

Besides nuclear bombs, and other lethal weapons terrorist groups may have, television may be one of the most powerful weapons available to terrorists. According to the article, Martin the Media's Role in International Terrorism, by the 1870s, it was recognized that political violence could not be effective without communication. This gives terrorist organizations the flexibility to do more psychological harm than physical damage. For example, a terrorist can blow up a building, and kill fifteen victims. Psychologically, there may be a few more victims within the local area, but the incident could only spread as far as word of mouth, and then only so efficiently. However, if the media transmits the incident across the country, then psychologically far more victims would suffer the incident. Even the local area could be more affected by the attack if there was any news on it in the local newspaper. The terrorist seeks a large audience to get their message across exploiting the media to maximize their range. According to Braithwaite's article (as cited in Post, 2007), Post argues that governments in the West have tended to rely too much upon their technological advantage and that this has resulted in them losing ground in the psychological war that terrorists wage. This is one of the main reasons why terrorist organizations can destroy Americans psychologically. Americans rely so much on media that they seek it

Terrorism has been a controversial topic ever since the 19th century, during Napoleon’s invasion of Spain in 1807 (White, Jonathan, et al. 123). The term’s meaning has changed over time throughout history, and has sparked debates over its true definition (White Jonathan, et al. 7). It was not until after the 9/11 attacks, when the media started to bring terrorism in its headlines. By then, terrorism became a popular topic for its drama. Drama attracts audiences to read, watch, or listen to their advertisements (White, Jonathan, et al. 74). I believe the media does influence terrorism because it attracts attention, generalizes certain groups of people, and the use of communicating through the internet. Without having terrorism in their “topics-to-talk-about” list, any other news coverage would be considered as, “boring”.

“If the media were not there to report terrorist acts and to explain their political and social significance...terrorism as such would cease to exist” said John O'Sullivan, an editor of the Times of London.1 This is also the way many other people feel about the recent increase in terrorist activity; they feel that the media is causing it. The media is doing this by fulfilling the terrorists' need for publicity.2 Terrorists need media publicity in order to get their views spread to the public.3 Because of this need for publicity, terrorists are committing their acts of terrorism in areas where a lot of publicity will be gained; the United States and Western Europe are the most recent targets. The bombings of the federal building in