Western Media And Its Coverage Of Terrorism

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

After September 11, 2001, U.S. citizens were shocked that over 2,900 people were dead because of Islamic extremists (Kean, et al. "National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States"). More deaths occurred in the Paris and San Bernardino attacks. Tensions between the U.S. and Islamic extremists have not yet subsided. Americans receive information regarding Islamic extremists through the media, from which they form opinions on what the U.S.’s foreign policy with the Middle East should be, which affects military spending. To what extent has the media’s portrayal of Islamic extremists affected U.S. military spending and relations with the Middle East?

September 11, 2001 is a date in history that changed the lives of people from all over the world and especially the lives of Americans. On this day nineteen militant men associated with al-Qaeda, an Islamic extremist group, hijacked four airplanes and carried out multiple suicide attacks on different locations in the United States. Two of the planes directly struck the World Trade Center located in New York City, one of the other two planes hit the Pentagon in Washington D.C., and the final plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania before it could reach its final destination. On this day, more than 3,000 people were killed including over 400 first responding police officers and firefighters. In recent years as people look back on that day it is remembered as a time when the country was joined together by grief and showed an overwhelming amount of comfort and support to the victims and their families; it was also a time of extreme national pride. People also remember that following the attacks the economy suffered tremendously, in addition, air traffic which makes up a portion of the economy was greatly disrupted, both of which created uncertainty about the security of the financial markets critical to the success of the United States. What most people do not remember is the immediate backlash and hostility the Muslim and Arab communities received following the attacks by both civilians and the media. This is a topic that has been largely ignored by the public and media’s

On the covers of newspapers and on the screens of many, the story of the Boston marathon hits the ground. Twenty six thousand eight hundred thirty nine people from all over the world came to run in this awe-inspiring marathon. Until the tragedy strikes right in their faces. The explosions, injuring scores of people, effected the lives of innocent civilians. Cheers were replaced with screams, sirens, and the first responders providing aide to the citizens. This was a brutal event just like the one on September 11, 2001. Instead of using seclusion towards political and economical reasons for events, the mass medias perceptive towards incidents involving the religion Islam has created the stereotypical thought in society in which we live in today.

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,

The United States government and the mass media use advertising and self-censorship about the 9/11 attacks and analysis of the war on terror in order to effect the general public’s feelings about the terrorists and the

The terrorists’ attacks on September 11, 2001 centered on New York City was a devastation that affected the United States as Al-Qaeda wanted to instill fear in the mass public, and also send a message simultaneously to their counterparts that they were not to be taken lightly. Since then, it has never been forgotten and was one of the worst tragedies to occur in recent history. In an otherwise positive note, Osama Bin Laden has since been killed and his death has directly caused a morale decrease in the terrorist faction. Terrorism was always in play when it came to the United States, but it only came into the limelight with the 9/11 attacks. The attacks brought numerous repercussions, such as future health issues, problems with economics,

As a result of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, most Americans have a general knowledge about terrorism. The U.S. military has been at war for around a decade, continuing the concentration of the media and politicians on Middle Eastern countries and terrorist groups. Consequently, the focus of the nation tends to remain on international terrorist groups rather than domestic terrorist groups. There is a vast amount of terrorism groups in America, including the Army of God, the Aryan Nations, and the Animal Liberation Front, who possess extreme ideals and exist for different reasons. The fact that there are numerous terrorist groups that are composed of American citizens performing tremendous acts of violence within the U.S. seems to go somewhat unnoticed by the general public.

It is nearly impossible to go an entire day in the United States without hearing of some act of terrorism. Whether it be a shooting in a public place or threats against a group of people, this violent form of conflict is prevalent in every American’s life. These ruthless acts of cold-blooded murder demonstrate evil in its purest form, and leave death and mourning in their wake. The article “Homegrown Terrorism: Is There an Islamic Wave?” gives an overview of the rise of domestic terrorism since the tragedy of 9/11. Though it was written in 2011, the core message is the same today: terrorism in the United States still continues to grow at a sickening pace, with each new attack seeming more barbaric than the last.

Robert Denton’s Language, Symbols, and Media article depicts the terrible events that happened on September 11, 2001 that will forever be held and regarded as a day of infamy in America’s history. These terrorist attacks corrupted hundreds of families and murdered thousands of individuals. Terrorism has been a major national and international problem for hundreds of years.

Terrorism is one international political issue that has been significant in US society since the end of the Cold War. Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, America’s sense of security has been destroyed and continued terrorist attacks in other parts of the world targeting Americans, as well as other allied nations further fuels a sense of anxiety. From Bin Laden, to Saddam Hussein and ISIS the fear of further terrorism attacks is

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

As stated in our textbook, terrorism is defined as, “The use or threat of violence to create terror in others, usually for political purposes” (Ember 299). Most often, when individuals hear the word, they think of September 11, 2001, the fateful day that changed our country. Since that day, it seems as if the word “terrorism” has become a common term used by newscasters, politicians, and everyday individuals alike. The concept and fear associated with “terrorism” has seemingly dominated the lives of Americans—and other individuals—since, implying that there was a time before 2001 where terrorism wasn’t as prevalent or didn’t exist. However, this certainly is not true because terrorism is not a new concept at all. As stated by our textbook,

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.

9/11 accomplishment is not how many people they had killed, but is terrifying people through all the reports and images of the attacks and changing the way many people throughout the world live (Philip M Seib and Dana M. Janbekb,2011). People have the right to know what is happening in this world. Journalists have the responsibility to explain so that the news consumers would be able to build their understanding of issues. However, if the news coverage about terrorist acts take up too much space, people’s fear will be promoted. This might scare people away from certain activities, such as using public transports, traveling by air, and traveling to certain countries in Middle East.