Mass Media and the Terror of Terrorism in Global Security Analysis (original) (raw)
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Media and Terrorism: Global Perspectives
Australian Journal of Political Science, 2012
Scholars of terrorism studies have never really played nicely in the school yard of geopolitical and socio-cultural affairs. Many are at least a little defensive in the face of critical and alternative perspectives in a field in which, prior to 9/11, traditionalists-orthodox folk-enjoyed a mostly unchallenged monopoly. All that changed in the aftermath of 11 September 2001 when the imaginations of scholars from diverse academic backgrounds were captured by low-tech terrorists and their brazen attacks on global power. Derogatory criticisms and nasty debates were to follow. After hearing a presentation at a major counterterrorism conference from a terrorism academic with a sociological and cultural studies background, a well-known terrorism expert turned to me and said, 'Has he ever been in the military? What are his credentials? Does he work in intelligence?' The suggestion was that terrorism studies should only be practised by traditional intellectuals-white males, conservative, with in this case military backgrounds or credentials. It would be a little convenient to simply blame the traditionalists; the orthodox practitioners of terrorism studies. Some of the new-school academics have been just as antisocial in the playground. The admirable formative aspirations of critical studies 'on' terror have, unfortunately, spiralled into mostly repetition and problematic 'Eureka!'-type moments. Critical terror studies has become well known for thinking that something that is not all that new is new. Some scholars in this field 'discover' things of which traditionalists were already well aware. Some are effectively neo-Wilkinsonians, yet I am not certain they are all that familiar with his work. Freedman and Thussu's Media and Terrorism: Global Perspectives is among the best works that I have encountered for negotiating this terrain. This edited collection is mostly unpretentious, aware and respectful of key moments in an ageing discipline, whilst remaining critically aware of social theory, the world and-importantly-themselves. The book's title is itself informative. Media and Terrorism establishes the order of analysisthis book is first and foremost about the media. The contributors are media studies academics of various persuasions. Despite this, the authors as a collective do an amazing job of accounting for the meanings and consequences of terrorism across social, cultural, geographical and psychological boundaries. Whilst being about 'the media' this book captures the post-9/11 multi-disciplinarity of terrorism studies. The chapters are incredibly diverse and a full account of each is beyond the space available here, but I will highlight a few that seem especially significant. Toby Miller's chapter 'Terrorism and Global Popular Culture' steals the show. I chose to read it alongside Mike Davis' searching account of Californian universities in City of Quartz (2006). Miller's analysis is far reaching and leaves the reader feeling uneasy (which I think he intends). My PlayStation now reminds me of global structures of imperial domination that implicate not only the military-industrial complex but also Hollywood and the computer gaming industry. I'd rather not think about how far this imperialism might stretch into other parts of my life. David Miller and Rizwaan Sabir's chapter, 'Propaganda and Terrorism', is an important contribution to empirical terrorism studies. In the Herman and Chomsky tradition, media discourses about terrorism are also about propaganda. The post-9/11 world has opened up a chasm from which 'propaganda' has effortlessly emerged. I too have long been interested in the types of thinking and writing that terrorism makes possible (and impossible). But propaganda, as the authors point out, is not simply accidental or opportunistic. It requires planning. I have long been a fan of Danny Schechter and his News Dissector blog. I subscribed as a PhD student and spent many hours sifting through the content that Schechter shared with the blogosphere. It was about time that he achieved the status of a terrorism expert (terror academicus). In 'Challenging the Media War' he deploys the skill and creativity of Michael Moore, but with only some of the notoriety. Schechter reminds us of the price of collusion between seats of power in the media and government. Among his targets is apologist-turnedcritic, newsreader Dan Rather. Rather helped highlight the news media's complicity in framing media coverage of post-9/11 wars in the ways that the Bush administration wanted, but it should BOOK REVIEWS 737
SUMMARY The new paradigm of terrorism is partly a consequence of a sudden development of information technology, which is particularly manifested in the fact that terrorist organisations have recognized the importance mass media has on the accomplishment of their aims. Between media and terrorism there exists a very interactive (symbiotic) relationship, because media industry trends and patterns for media contents production head towards preference of sensation– seeking contents, whereas terrorist organisations can, due to their actions, ensure themselves maximum presence in the media. In so doing, terrorist organizations are constantly trying to manipulate and exploit free media for their own purpose. We might say that it is the mass media itself that provide global reach to terrorism, it influences the way the public perceives terrorism and dangers that arise from it, it influences political decisions used to respond to terrorism, but also the relations formed through national and international politics. However, media does not have to become an instrument of terrorism. Through a thoughtful approach media can, in western liberal countries, turn into a kind of weapon which can then be used as an important device in defeating terrorists , and the positive benefits certainly exceed unfavourable consequences caused by possible irresponsible actions by a part of journalists or media companies.
Discourse & Communication, 2007
The new paradigm of terrorism is partly a consequence of a sudden development of information technology, which is particularly manifested in the fact that terrorist organisations have recognized the importance mass media has on the accomplishment of their aims. Between media and terrorism there exists a very interactive (symbiotic) relationship, because media industry trends and patterns for media contents production head towards preference of sensationseeking contents, whereas terrorist organisations can, due to their actions, ensure themselves maximum presence in the media. In so doing, terrorist organizations are constantly trying to manipulate and exploit free media for their own purpose. We might say that it is the mass media itself that provide global reach to terrorism, it influences the way the public perceives terrorism and dangers that arise from it, it influences political decisions used to respond to terrorism, but also the relations formed through national and international politics. However, media does not have to become an instrument of terrorism. Through a thoughtful approach media can, in western liberal countries, turn into a kind of weapon which can then be used as an important device in defeating terrorists, and the positive benefits certainly exceed unfavourable consequences caused by possible irresponsible actions by a part of journalists or media companies.
Mass Media, Terrorism and National Security: Defining the Threats
Cross-cultural Communication, 2019
The menace of terrorism has been a source of worry to communication specialists. This is more so due to the centrality of communication, particularly the mass media, to the challenge posed by different security concerns, especially national security and terrorism. Violence is escalating rapidly, impacting on local communities, sparking dissensions and eventually, further tensions. Despite being a potent instrument to fighting terrorism and insecurity, this research explores the interface of mass media with security issues, as well as the challenges the media pose to national security, given that the mass media themselves sometimes are a form of threat to the security of nations and their peoples. This study discusses the role mass media play in the business of human security versus national security. It identifies espionage, propaganda, cultural imperialism, regulatory concerns, editorial manipulations, as well as the Internet as some of the threats that the mass media industry pose...
[JIKOM] New notification from Jurnal Communio : Jurnal Jurusan Ilmu Komunikasi, 2020
Contemporary global security realities have identified the pervasive mass media terror continuum in the form of display of graphic images and somewhat persuasive impacts of the mass media as used by terror organizations across the world. This work is therefore an explorative analytical narrative of the impacts of the mass media in the promotion and consolidation of terrorist ideologies and rationalization of terrorist activities. Generally, the work has made an objective modest attempt to review the nature and dynamics of global mass media and relationship between some of the fallouts of the impacts of the mass media in the spread and sustainability of global extremist and terrorist ideologies. This narrative is derivable from different international scholars and national governments based on sustained empirical researches in different countries of the world. Consequently, this work adopted extensively the historical and explorative approach that relied on secondary sources comprising books, journals and reports that were logically arranged and evaluated through content analysis in tandem with social science research enterprise. The work, therefore, established glaring intrinsic and extrinsic correlation between the impacts of the mass media and terrorism in the world and ultimately offered useful recommendations accordingly to stem this scourge. ABSTRAK Realitas keamanan global kontemporer telah mengidentifikasi secara berkelanjutan tentang teror media massa yang tersebar dalam bentuk gambar grafis dan dampak media massa yang persuasif sebagaimana digunakan oleh organisasi teror di seluruh dunia. Karenanya, karya ini merupakan narasi analitis eksploratif tentang dampak media massa dalam promosi dan konsolidasi ideologi teroris dan rasionalisasi kegiatan teroris. Secara umum, karya ini berupaya secara sederhana namun obyektif mengkaji sifat dan dinamika media massa global dan hubungan antara beberapa dampak dari media massa dalam penyebaran dan keberlanjutan ideologi ekstremis dan teroris global. Narasi ini diturunkan dari berbagai pakar internasional dan pemerintah berdasarkan penelitian empiris berkelanjutan di berbagai negara di dunia. Tulisan ini mengadopsi pendekatan historis dan eksploratif secara ekstensif mengandalkan data sekunder seperti buku, jurnal dan laporan yang disusun dan dievaluasi secara logis melalui analisis isi bersama-sama dengan lembaga penelitian ilmu sosial. Berdasarkan hasil kajian, penelitian menemukan ada korelasi intrinsik dan ekstrinsik yang signifikan antara dampak media massa dan terorisme di dunia dan pada akhirnya menawarkan rekomendasi yang berguna untuk membendung momok ini. Kata-kata Kunci: Media Massa, Terorisme, Global, Teror.
This paper analyzes ways in which the media, particularly television coverage, has enhanced global terrorism.It argues that terrorists must have some kind of publicity in order to gain attention, inspire fear and respect, and secure favorable understanding of their cause. The paper attempts to show how a tripartite relationship of the media, governments, and terrorists is responsible for the growing global interest in terrorism. Analyzing selected literature on media role in promoting the argument about terrorism, the paper explains ways in which the broadcast and online media serve a dual role: (1) as the propaganda machine for terrorists and, (2) as an advocate for governments to enhance information sharing on terrorism and suppress the terrorist culture in different regions. It describes various terrorist groups, setting the context for understanding how the media has fostered the proliferation of terrorist cells.The last section offers long-term suggestions to end terrorist activity around the world and how governments and communities can limit terrorist destruction of the global society.
Este artículo analiza las posibles relaciones entre grupos terroristas y medios de comunicación. Se utiliza como estudio de caso a la organización Al Qaeda, analizándose su discurso público y su evolución histórica. Su percepción de los mass media, es el resultado de un cálculo de oportunidad, lo que determina tres fases históricas: 1) De hostilidad hacia unos medios a los cuales responsabiliza de que su mensaje sea ocultado o distorsionado; 2) Adaptación a un nuevo entorno, donde existen canales dispuestos a interpretar la realidad desde una perspectiva mucho más cercana a la ideología yihadista (principalmente Al Jazeera); 3) Explotación de internet como estrategia indirecta de acercamiento a los medios de masas.
Mass Media and Terrorism: Who Calls the Shots?
International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Review, 2013
The rise in terrorist activities and fast-growing media coverage of terrorism forms the fulcrum of this study as it examines the relationship between mass media and terrorism and to find out whether actually a symbiotic relationship exist between them. Terrorism is a word that is politically and emotionally charged as it involves the use of force, violence and threats in bringing about political, religious or ideological change. There can no meaningful terrorist act without the mass media. The media, therefore, to an extent, are catalysts that facilitate terrorist activities. Terrorists need mass media for publicity and mass media owe the society the right to know what is happening around it. This symbiosis has resulted in prolonged debates among scholars in attempt to determine who calls the shots: mass media or terrorism. This study, therefore seeks to determine whether actually a symbiosis exists between mass media and terrorism and extent of influences.
The Media, Extremism and Terrorism: An Unintentional Business Relationship
Social Communication
Although the goals of the press and terrorists are not the same, the two groups engage in a mutually beneficial relationship that often appears confusing to scholars and the public. Both the press and the terrorists need and crave the attention of the public. In this paper the authors examine the motives and the methods that the media and the terrorists attempt to achieve their goals. The terrorists need the attention to create terror and spread their propaganda to further their political causes. The media needs the sensationalism created by the terrorists to attract viewers or readers and to positively effect ratings. The study found that the stories about terrorism increased media ratings while unintentionally benefiting the terrorist by publicizing the terrorist cause.