American Media Representations of Islam, Muslims, and Terrorism after 9-11 - Dissertation Example

The US general public came to the harsh realization that their country was vulnerable to terrorist attacks within its borders, they were now in the same position as other countries in the world like Iraq, Egypt, or the Philippines where most often, multiple incidents of terrorist attacks have been reported. Media studies highlight the rise of the mass media and the impact of new forms of media on human communication, analysis, and society (Hammer and Kelner, 2009). Critical media have also established related responses to traditional communication studies, which are usually behaviorist in nature and which were said to address matters which were manipulative to the general mass media.

Through mass media, this study focuses on communication that seeks to reach numerous people, where the media participants do not interact on a one-on-one level with the individuals who created the reports (Hammer and Kelner, 2009). The dominance of mass media, including radio, TV, and digital media was recognized by the general public, understanding that through these mass media tools, the world has become smaller. As can be deduced above, the mass media and its current resources have become important tools in information dissemination and analysis.

Through the mass media, people have become more informed about the events unfolding in different parts of the world. Through the mass media, major and minor events can and have been reported to as global citizens. One of these major events includes September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the US. While the media has presented the facts of the attacks, they have also provided their analysis of the events, including perspectives on national policy and actions by the ruling US administration. The power of the media representations of the terror attacks and the central nature of the media following the event have established a wealth of research and discourse as well as debates on the role which the media has in current society and history (Nacos, 2007).

This dissertation shall evaluate the American media representations of Islam, Muslims, and terrorism following the 9/11 attacks and it shall utilize two news articles from two American newspapers and their reports on Islam and terrorism, evaluating their content, their tone, and their objectivity.