Media Influences Terrorism

Many Americans do not understand the implication and role of terrorism in the modern world. Terrorism is not a something that can be measured or held in hand. It is a theoretical idea that has many different meanings to many different people (Aziz, 2014). U.S. Citizens in general need to understand the full effect of modern terrorism. Blinded by media coverage and dramatized by slow-motion video replay of terrorist attacks,

Terrorist organizations from the past did not have much exposure compare to terrorist organizations now who have diverse media outlets. The different types of media coverage's include the internet , social media, news, and YouTube videos. Terrorist have an advantage with these media outlets, they can recruit members to join the fight against those who are against Islam. These individual can receive training from these terrorist organization. Training can include how to make a bomb, fight tactics, or planning terrorist attack. They play to and for an audience, and solicit audience participation (Hoffman 2006, 173). These terrorist organization want as much media exposure as to bring terror to those who oppose them. By these terrorist attack

Terrorism was traditionally viewed as a term ascribed to others. Prior to the events of 9/11, it was applied to foreign conflicts that were read about and briefly covered by media outlets, thus viewed as an abstract concept and someone else’s problem. Some would argue that the events of 9/11 was the fourth act of terroristic activities on American soil. The first was perpetrated on Native Americans, second would be the horrors and hells of the North American slave trade and third is lynching.

1.) Asa Don Brown, the author of “Desensitization of Terrorism,” focuses on how the influence of the media and social media have desensitized us when it comes to terrorist attacks. Brown directs the article toward an audience who questions why they are no longer as surprised by terrorist attacks when they occur as they used to be. This seems like an extremely odd feeling to have when several people are killed and hundreds are hurt, however, it is the strange reality these days. Terrorist attacks have been happening for years and years now and while we would love to just stop them from occurring, this is blatantly impossible to achieve. He emphasizes in the article, the idea that when terrorist attacks and the terrorists themselves are

The word “terrorism” was first used during the French Revolution when British statesman Edmond Burke used the term to describe the actions of the Jacobin-dominated French government. Under the leadership of Maximilien Robespierre, thousands of people that were said to be enemies of the state were put on trial and then executed by use of the guillotine (O 'Connor, 2006). However, since the inception of the word, it has taken on a new meaning. One can now hear the word “terrorism” and be overcome by anger or even fear. Terrorism now seems to have turned to attacks against a government rather

The perpetrators of terrorism have changed over time. Domestic terrorism has its roots in the United States going back to the Colonial Era, where some argue that patriots such as in the Boston Tea Party used terror tactics to spread their message (Zalman, 2015). Many argue that the acts patriots took were

Hertsgaard, and Medved discuss about the media’s contribution to the negative image of America. Hertsgaard examines the word “terrorism” and how it is being over used by our media. He explains “media elites never apply to the United States or its

Terrorism acts today are not the same as they were 20 or 30 years ago. Even though the act is still the same but because of today’s media and technology it is different. For example, in 2015 the ISIS claims attack in Paris, France that killed more the 128 people was world news within minutes because of technology and the media broadcasting it even without all of the information. There are pros and cons with the media sharing terrorism acts. The pros and if it a lengthily attack the media can possible warn others that may be in the area or to warn others not to go to specific areas. The cons are when the media just makes reports without conducting research and doing their due diligence and insuring what they are reporting is correct.

The news media of American society does not encourage terrorism. The only thing that the media encourages is knowledge of what is going on around the world. Unfortunately, some terrorist organizations use the news media to gain recognition for their groups causes and goals. Most of the time, the media will serve as force to gain citizen support for the government’s actions against a terrorist movement. The only problem with having the freedom of press that the United States enjoys is that everyone has a voice.

He also found that less attention was devoted to attacks in countries farther away from the US. Significantly, Jetter concluded that the media attention devoted to a terrorist attack was predictive of both the “likelihood of another strike in the affected country within seven days’ time and of a reduced interval until the next attack”.

“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

The media plays the strongest role in the public’s perception of terrorism. A person the news as informative. It informs the public on any social, political, or economic issues. Many believe the output of information that comes from the news is accurate. It feels the primary source and a means of communication to alert the public of any devastating news. “Studies have shown that the media emphasize on certain crimes that leads the public to believe that such crimes are most likely to be committed” (Maras, 2013, p.97). When a tragedy occurs, the news focuses its attention of that specific factor. For example, the terrorist group called ISIS is still surfing through many different media outlets and newspapers.

September 11th changed the lives of many Americans, irrevocably. The horrendous attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon altered the way American’s viewed their positions within the world, not to mention their lives and their safety. The attacks brought terrorism to the forefront of national attention, in every aspect. The government became immediately immersed in an effort to understand and defeat terrorism, and simultaneously, the media, with its perverse fascination with violence and profit-driven espousal to round-the-clock, up-to-the-minute coverage, demonstrated an obsession with the attacks, by broadcasting almost nothing but the latest developments in the search and rescue efforts and investigations

I would say that the media plays the stronger role in the public’s perception of terrorism, because they give them all the attention they desire and a huge platform whenever an attack occurs. This motivate them to continue to engage in more terrorist events. John Kerry suggested that the media cover acts of terrorism less often, and perhaps people might not "know what's going on." I completely understand where he is coming from; however being an American citizen I would like to know what is going on when it comes to an terrorist attack. The terrorists uses the media to broadcast their evil acts to a bigger audience hoping to instill fear within us. Honestly, I cannot say that media need to not report because I would not want to be in the dark

The mass media affects the spread of propaganda and just encourages group and individual terrorist acts. In a way the media is an ally to terrorists. The media use terrorists to get stories and terrorists use the media to spread fear and panic. The media legitimizes terrorism and their causes because by publicizing their acts, even if not completely true, it will be believed. People say don’t believe everything you hear and read, but once its put out there, the propaganda is already set in our heads.