Relationship between the Media and Terrorism - Essay Example

Relationship between the media and terrorism Introduction According to the general definition of terrorism, the most fundamental aspect of terrorism is the provocation of the public or certain groups of persons on a certain consideration. Despite different versions of definitions for the same, it is clear that terror gangs would use every means to inculcate fear and enforce a coercing agenda. To reach this end, terrorists rely on the media to propagate their criminal intentions whose ultimate goal is establishment of terror among the target groups. Terrorist activities have had mixed fortunes with the developments experienced in the information and communication technology, especially within the media circles. Media participation in provision of an enabling environment to both governments (and like-minded anti-terror groups) as well as in communicating terror threats and propaganda to the general public is a debatable topic up to date. Terrorism has likewise evolved over the years to acquire the sophistication that almost every other sector in the modern society has achieved. Among the major developments that terrorism has gained in the recent history is the link with the mass media. Even though terrorism has existed since antiquity, its modernization through media highlights has heightened its attention by every corner of the globe. Several scholars have stated that the act of terrorism on its own cannot be atrocious as it is but for the publicity accorded by the media, it increasingly seems a shocking reality within the society. Relationships In order for the media to remain in the market, it has to exercise market control of the content presented and among the most selling stories include terror and crime related. Alternatively, extensive research has been carried out and several authors have come into a conclusion that there is some form of symbiosis between the media and the terror gangs. Over the years, governments have linked atrocious crimes carried out by terror gangs with media publicity. It has been argued that the publicity given to terror activities by the media can be likened to oxygen needed for the gangs to survive (Alali and Eke, 1991, p51). Support to the arguments that the media and terror groups have been cooperating has been offered by other scholars such as Hoffman (2006, p174) to the effect that media absence wastes the impact of terror activities. The majority of the victims targeted by the terrorists remain unaffected by a violent crime. It is imperative that the terrorists ensure that the terror impact trickles down to the majority through the media which acts as a vital channel. The absence of the media in such activities has therefore been likened to the proverbial tree falling in the forest; it requires a witness to proclaim it or appear like it never occurred at all (Nacos, 2000, p175). It has clearly been put forward by Ganor, (2002) that the terrorists’ aim is never in the few deaths sustained but it is ordinarily in the imagination of the larger population just like a representative sample. Worst terror activities could be achieved even without killings or attacks, provided the desired fear and panic is instilled. It possible to create such an impact by the broadcasting of threats in an alternative warfare that incorporates psychological weaponry. The media is therefore a very useful tool that the terrorists can use to supplement their violent activities with, in the committing terror. Similar sentiments have been raised by scholars such as Gerges (2005, p194) where international terrorists and media obsession have been highlighted. The author specifically mentions the classical example of the Al-Qaeda leader interaction with international media and dubs it as a major strength in the terrorist activities that the organization executes. Another Al-Qaeda terrorist leader (Al-Zawahiri) is on record saying that over a half of their terrorist battles would be fought through the media. A slightly different opinion was however held by some scholars who still implicated the media to some extent. Wieviorka (1998, p43) classifies levels of interaction between the media and terrorists to constitute four different ways that refute symbiosis. On one level, there is complete indifference where the media does not participate in the propulsion of terrorism and there is a likelihood that this level of interaction contributes in fighting terrorism. The second level was labeled relative indifference where the media does not completely desist from publicizing terrorist activities but does it on a minimal basis. On the third level of interaction, the media oriented strategy comes into play where the beneficial marketing approach is employed by media outlets. Fourthly, the coercion of the media is the most compelling where the media is like a hostage of terror gangs and reports mainly to ensure that the interests of the gangs are achieved. These four grades of relationship are logically presented but critics have challenged the work arguing that the media falls prey of terrorism indirectly at least at some instance. Intensive studies done on media and terrorism relationships have dissected the interaction into two models, for instance in work done by Barnhurst (1991, p125). The author states that there are Culpable-media model and vulnerable media model in existence. In the two models, control is the subject of distinction, where the former creates a cyclic influence from the terror gangs on the media inciting more coverage by the rest of the media players. The later on the other hand classifies the media as a victim of terror activities and does not promote or publicize terror activities. According to Nacos (2007, p20), there are objectives that terrorists aim to achieve by using the media in the propagation of terrorist activities. On one hand, terror groups aim to seek attention from the audience of the media establishments. This is perhaps one of the reasons why international and influential media organizations become better platforms for terror gangs to target. On the other hand, the terror groups seek recognition from the media audience and they aspire to let their target group aware of their grievances. Alternatively, it is a major objective that through the media, terror groups would acquire respect from their allies as well as gain sympathy and assistance. It is also possible that through publicity accorded by media publications that the terror groups aim to achieve quasi-legitimate recognition. A balance of the above factors would propel terrorist organizations into stronger establishments seeking a particular solution to their problems. The impact of the media on terrorism has been assessed to point at various possibilities of impact created by the relationship between the media and terrorism. According to Schbley (2004), radical ideologies that are likely to spark off terrorism have been disseminated through the media. In terrorism hit areas such as the Middle East, it was discovered that the majority of terrorists obtained information on carrying attacks by accessing similar media reports. Countering Negative Relationships To break negative trends in media and terrorists relations, Wilkinson (2006, p154) suggests a three policy formulation basis. These policies include firstly, laissez-faire which adopts exoneration of the media in its reporting, secondly, media censorship of statutory regulation which provides for incorporation of some form of restriction of media coverage in security issues and lastly voluntary self restraint which calls for responsible reporting as an initiative of the media houses. Apparently, the form of policy or policies combination to be adopted is likely to be influenced by the volatility of the terrorism agenda in the region. References Alali, A. O., & Eke, K. (1991) Media coverage of terrorism: methods of diffusion. London, UK: Sage Publishers. Barnhurst, K. G. (1991) “The Literature of Terrorism: Implications for Visual Communication.” In Alal, A. O. and Eke K. K. (1991) Media coverage of terrorism: methods of diffusion. London, UK: Sage Publishers. Ganor, B. (2002) “Terror as a Strategy of Psychological Warfare.” Retrieved from http://www.ict.org.il/var/119/40015 Terror%20as%20a%20Strategy%20of%20Psychological%20Warfare.pdf. Gerges, F. A. (2005) The far enemy, why Jihad went global. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Hoffman, B. (2006) Inside terrorism. New York, NY: Columbia University Press. Nacos, B. L. (2000) “Accomplice or Witness? The Media’s Role in Terrorism,” Current History, 99(636):174-178. Nacos, B. L. (2007) Mass-mediated terrorism: the central role of the media in terrorism and counterterrorism. Lanham, MD.: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc,. Schbley, A. (2004) “Religious Terrorism, the Media, and International Islamization Terrorism: Justifying the Unjustifiable.” Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 27(3):207-233. Wieviorka, M. (1988) The making of terrorism. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. Wilkinson, P. (2006) Terrorism versus democracy, the liberal state response. New York, NY: Routledge. Read More