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 …show more content…
What exactly is the culture of fear and how does it affect the way that the public reacts to acts of terrorism? One fundamental characteristic within a culture of fear is narrow-mindedness. The media has contributed to this atmosphere of intolerance by over-reporting the September 11th attacks.
People cannot think clearly when they are afraid. As numerous studies have shown, fear is the enemy of reason. It distorts emotions and perceptions, and often leads to poor decisions. For people who have suffered trauma, fear messages can sometimes trigger uncontrollable flight-or-fight responses with dangerous ramifications (Hazen,
In which school the shooting incident happened today? Should I help my child put on a bulletproof vest? Everyday miserable news are reported whenever we turn on TV. The news glue us to the TV screen and give us a sense of uneasiness. We feel living the extremely dangerous era.
Fear can have a huge role in an individual's decision making process. Many people make different decisions when they are afraid or scared of something than they normally would. In the article Fear: The Highly Potent Effect Fear Has on Decision Making, the author states, “When you are overcome with fear or panic and have to make a
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?
Theodore Roosevelt once said, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.” What is fear? Fear can be a noun or a verb. In the noun form, it is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat. In the verb form, it is to be afraid of someone or something that is dangerous, painful, or threatening. If one person looks into fear, then that person becomes feared. But imagine a whole society or community looking into fear. The fear not only gets larger as it spreads, but it also gets more fearful than it already is. The power of fear can be displayed in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and in Ronald Oakley’s “The Great Fear”. As fear moves on from one mind to the next, it leaves the
Firstly, the “war on terror” had reduced the humanitarian concerns down, and the foreign policy. Furthermore, media coverage had become more deferential and constrained: therefore, reducing the chances of media influencing policy. The “war on terror” most importantly provided journalists with a guide in which they could understand global events and policy makers with the ability to justify a more aggressive foreign policy plan. At last, the “war on terror” had constructed an ideological bond between journalist and policy makers which created stronger media management. Techniques developed to display coverage of certain issues over others to frame stories that support official
While fear itself is a healthy emotion, irrational fears cause people to take irrational actions. In The Science of Fear by Daniel Gardner, the aspects of human's response to fear are explained in four different groups. When people experience fear, naturally they come together with the people who share similar beliefs (Gardner 15). Gardner describes this gravitation as “group polarization” and with this comes confirmation bias. When the groups of people come together with the bias they hold to be true if confirmed and strengthened by those who share them (Gardner 15). The actions of these groups are based on the two systems of thinking. System one thinking is fast, involving feelings and emotions. Whereas system two thinking is based on reason and logic within one's actions (Gardner 15). However, the actions caused by fear are sometimes out of the thought of fear rather than the reality of it. The reality is that “ the only thing we have to fear … if fear itself-
It is addressed in the article how fickle the public is when it comes to what entertains them. News stories like “‘Heroic American fighters’ was the best and most marketable story before and during the major fighting. ‘Suicide bomber attacks’ has proven has proven to be a forceful story in the last
In our world fear roams everywhere. In our streets, businesses, schools, and homes. Fear has caused wars, and treaties. Fear can cause people to start something amazing or horrific. People can change because of fear of a thing.
Media coverage of news events can be disseminated to the general public in any number of different ways and media biases often “reflects certain organizational and/or professional preferences or values” (Bennett 2011, 173). In fact, Lundman (2003) points out “that journalists assess the newsworthiness of homicides occurrences using the relative frequency of particular types of murders and how well specific murder occurrences mesh with stereotypical race and gender typifications (357).” In addition, Johnson (2012) felt that the real job of media was to “create a message that…grabs public attention (62).” In other words, can the media grab the public’s attention and hold it?
In this chapter Todd Schaffer explores how US and African newspapers framed the US embassy bombings and the events that occurred on September 11th, 2001. He used a comparative framework to analyze how different newspapers framed the events in their perspective countries. The study focused on two events. On august 7, 1998 truck bombs exploded minutes apart from each other outside of American embassies in several African countries. The other event was the terrorist attack that occurred in New York city on September 11th, 2001. The findings demonstrate that terrorism news, like other genres, are colored and framed to match the local culture and ideals. There were also signs that when foreign events are interpreted and framed, they often carry
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.
“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
Culture of Fear, by Frank Furedi, is a book that looks at how widespread fear impacts Western cultures like the United States and Great Britain. Frank Furedi believed that society tends to panic too much, as we actually enjoy "an unprecedented level of safety." I admit that Frank Furedi's novel is based upon a novel concept, and an interesting one at that. However, Frank Furedi comes off to me as little more than a fear monger and an intellectual elitist. His book, to me, seems redundant more often than not. But sometimes part of college is learning about points of view that you may not agree with, so I tried to maintain that perspective when I read the book.
Adrian Flynn’s playwright “The Valley of the Fear”, adapted from the novel by Conan Doyle, demonstrates how the writer uses techniques to convey an impression of suspense and mystery through scenes with a high level of anticipation and uncertainty. Suspense is achieved through the use of literary devices and events that stimulate the viewer’s moods. Readers wait with anticipation for the next secret to be revealed in strong, sudden scenes. Furthermore, Doyle creates a sense of tension by never giving the reader an entire answer so they can make up their own mind about what’s happening.
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.