Terrorism in the modern world - Essay Example

The issue is further complicated when governments adopt violent tactics in the pursuit of their interests, provoking accusations of state terrorism. The quotation mentioned above from Giannini Riotta, speaking as the Deputy Editor of the Spanish newspaper Corriera del Sera, was made in the wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks of 2001 in the United States. The force of his statement is to argue that whereas terrorists formerly tried to gain publicity by staging events that the media could report on, they have now begun to specifically target media networks because in this way a terrorist “understands that that’s the right way to paralyse our world.

” (Riotta, 2005) It is important at the outset to be clear about our definition of terrorism, as opposed to other activities which may involve some degree of violence tied to political motives. Wilkinson identifies five key features of terrorism: 1) It is premeditated and designed to create a climate of extreme fear; 2) It is directed at a wider target than the immediate victims; 3) It inherently involves attacks on random or symbolic targets, including civilians; 4) It is considered by the society in which it occurs as ‘extra-normal’, that is in the literal sense that it violates the norms regulating disputes, protest and dissent; and 5) It is used primarily, though not exclusively, to influence the political behaviour of governments, communities or specific social groups.

(Wilkinson, 1997, p.51) It is clear from each of these characteristics that a key distinguishing feature of terrorism is its intention to reach a far greater number of people than those immediately affected by any terrorist act. The media play a crucial role in providing a mechanism for passing on information, fear and all sorts of ideas from the terrorist group to the public at large. Journalists and editors have a responsibility to report the truth, and considerable lee-way in how they frame the facts and comment on the issues.

It is possible, for example, to report both the concerns of the terrorists and the dreadful consequences of their acts on innocent civilians, thus eroding arguments of terrorists by illustrating their disregard for human life. Journalists are not simply being used by terrorists, because they are responsible for what they write. Schmid and de Graaf focus on the modern mass media’s insatiable hunger for specatacle and drama and recommend a system in which journalists should have a voluntary code of conduct in reporting on terrorism and navigating the many moral dilemmas that arise in this field.

Using the example of the 1985 hijacking of TWA Flight 847 by Lebanese Shia terrorists, Schmid and de Graf demonstrate the leverage which was gained by the hijackers, thanks to the mass media filming and commentating of the unfolding events. (Schmid and de Graaf, 1982, pp. 539-555) The visual elements of this “spectacle” ensured that it remained on televisions and in newspapers throughout the world over several days while governments negotiated with the hijackers. The media sold many copies and filled many hours of airtime with commentary and debate, and this dependence of Western media on commercial income through sales can lead to a tendency to hype up and sensationalise terrorist activities.

In the 1970s and 1980s there was an increase in the number of international terrorist activit