Media And The Issue Of Global Terrorism - Case Study Example

Media And The Issue Of Global Terrorism Introduction When historian Walter Laqueur has claimed that media are the best friends of terrorists, it seems that there has been a major criticism that has befallen the industry as the critique made a remarkable point to both supporters and detractors of media. For the past several decades, the media had faced many challenges from defending its rights against irrational censorships to performing its role in the society through covering various events and issues of public importance. One of these significant events is the issue on terrorism which is present in almost all regions in the world that one can already claim it as a global terrorism. As terrorism started to emerge and bring threat, fear, and panic in the society, media’s coverage on terrorism also became rampant. May it be on print, radio, television, or in the internet, one can read, hear, watch or browse everyday different news that has something to do with violence and terrorism in various part of the world. This condition has appeared to become already a trend as the world evolve and the society seems to be getting used to these continuous occurrences of hostile instances. With all of the alarming events caused by terrorists, media has been there to cover the stories, duly performing the duties and responsibilities it has for the people. However, the presences of media in the said events have imposed a critical issue on media itself. Is it still a medium for the benefit of the society or is now just a tool being use by the terrorists to spread fear and panic to people? It is in this light that this paper attempts to present the relationship of media and terrorism in the contemporary setting. In order to achieve this goal, the forms, powers and roles of media were discussed in such a way that it establishes the real function of media in the society. Definition, history, and evolution of terrorism were also presented to determine what it is really all about and how was it able to penetrate the domain of media. After introducing media and terrorism, the link between the two is tackled. Lastly, the present condition of terrorism related to media was reviewed. The Media Media, as a whole, have different and significant roles in the society. It is very obvious and factual that media have been all along with the society, surrounding every bit of the daily lives of people. Everyday, people read books, newspapers and magazines, listen to radio, watch television, and now, browse the internet. With media, the global society was able to communicate and interact even though kilometers and miles of land and seas separate them. It is primarily important in governments and lawmakers because of its ability in conveying messages and information (“The Media’s Role in Society”). Dissemination of information is the main purpose of the media (“The Media’s Role in Society”). Continuous flow of information is vital in the development of various communities. Without information, people would not be updated of the things and events that were occurring around them. In such incident, views and opinions would be narrowed and restricted since there is no information to think of. Development depends on people and if the people do not have any idea on how to make their community competitive because of the lack of information, progress would never take place. Relative with being a means in order for information to flow, media is also analysts of information, especially the journalists (“The Media’s Role in Society”). Similar with other researchers, journalists do not write reports based on hear says and details that are just on the surface of an issue. Aside from providing facts, figures and statistics, media men put their best effort to make the mentioned facts to be easily understood by ordinary people. In order to do this, journalists need to research and commonly provide other relevant information that would make the issues clearer for average readers, which will enable them to develop their own analysis. Aside from the interpreter role of the media, serving as watch-dogs of the society is also part of their role and responsibilities for the people (“The Media’s Role in Society”). This function of media is important in a democratic society because it is the right of the people to know what the government is doing. Media has the capability of delivering the necessary information that the people need and must know. This is where the freedom of the press applies because the press takes the responsibility of ensuring that democracy is being observed. Most importantly, media has the role of taking into account all the relevant information that happens in the society (“The Media’s Role in Society”). This is to make sure that the people are informed and knows what the current events are in order for them to function as purposeful individual in the society. Since media is very broad in scope and has many roles to play in the society, it is considered to be a powerful entity. In fact, it has various impacts on the society that makes it very influential when it comes to the people. Morton (2009) has mentioned that the media and the people have two-step flow of communication. This two-step flow involves the media influencing the people through planning and selecting issues and concerns that it deems to be significant and preferred by the people. These issues and concerns undergo another selection process as the audience who was initially exposed to it passes the information to friends or other people. With this process the influence of media goes beyond the people who were originally exposed to the presented information (Morton, 2009). In terms of innovation, as what has already been mentioned, people need media in order to be updated. People cannot form their opinions and develop their attitudes if they were cut off from information (Morton, 2009). It is in this case that the influence of media becomes visible since it helps the people shape their thoughts and thinking. Media has various forms that make it easier in influencing the people. Books, newspapers, and magazines were made available every day. There are newspaper stands in the sidewalks for busy people. Radio and television were now both almost accessible in all houses. The internet has been aggressive in its development. With all of these media forms, one cannot really just ignore the impact of media in their lives. Terrorism Terrorism is not a new concern anymore. However, the definition of terrorism is difficult to determine even if it is being used in history ever since. International Terrorism and Security Research was able to describe terrorism as tactic and strategy, a crime and a holy duty, a reasonable response to cruelty and an unforgivable hatred (“What is Terrorism?”). It is evident that the definition of terrorism greatly relies on the point of view that is being symbolized. Furthermore, it has been frequently regarded as an efficient method for the more feeble side of the conflict. Being an asymmetric kind of conflict, it provides coercive control over the numerous advantages of military force at a fraction of the cost. Because of the reason that terrorist groups are small in size and were naturally secretive and cautious, their opponents usually are left with nothing to investigate or discover (“What is Terrorism?”). It is in the said reason that preemption is regarded to be very significant. There are cases that terrorism happens even in the absence of adversarial nature of a conflict (“What is Terrorism?”). Some times, even simple cases of violence were perceived to be terrorism attacks. Because of these instances, terrorism has turned to become common and has been increasing in number among people who were engaged in such activity throughout the globe. However, regardless of terrorism’s status, it is considered to be a vague idea. The U.S. government, that has different agencies and departments dealing with terrorism, has various definitions for the said term. Department of Defense of the United States view terrorism as the “the calculated use of unlawful violence or threat of unlawful violence to inculcate fear; intended to coerce or to intimidate governments or societies in the pursuit of goals that are generally political, religious, or ideological,” (“What is Terrorism?”). Having this definition, one can observe that there are three major elements in focus such as violence, fear, and intimidation. The said elements were all contributory to the conception of terror upon the victims. On the other hand, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) defines terrorism as “the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives,” (“What is Terrorism?”) In some points similarities exists. The U.S. Department of States refers to terrorism as “premeditated politically-motivated violence perpetrated against non-combatant targets by sub-national groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience,” (“What is Terrorism?”) Beyond the government of U.S., dissimilarities are wider in scope and emphasizes on other aspects. For instance, the United Nations in 1992 has provided the definition of terrorism as “an anxiety-inspiring method of repeated violent action, employed by (semi-) clandestine individual, group or state actors, for idiosyncratic, criminal or political reasons, whereby - in contrast to assassination - the direct targets of violence are not the main targets,” (“What is Terrorism?”) This U.N. version of terrorism’s definition is where the common academic definition of terrorism originated. In simple terms, terrorism is an unlawful action that affects other people who are not necessarily to be the direct victims. Terrorists’ strategies were to perform operations that involve violence which attract the attention of numerous people, including the government and the whole world, in some cases. Great publicity is what the terrorist groups are seeking as they plan their attacks in order to draw attention towards their deeds and this is done through targeting what they deem as the symbol of the thing or event that they go up against to (“What is Terrorism?”). Success of the assault of terrorist groups is not merely determined by the result of the act itself but by the response of the government and the people on the attack. For example, the September 11 terrorism attack in the United States has created a deep mark in every American’s mind that even until today, eight years have already passed but the fear and threat still exist. One significant proof is the ongoing campaign of the United States against terrorism which is signified in the war that the said nation is currently engaged into. The 9/11 terrorism attack was not considered successful just because there are numerous people who have died and the World Trade Center’s twin towers have collapsed. It was successful because of the fear that it still elicit as it is remembered today and the response that the government has made towards it. Such result of terrorism attack has existed for more over millennia (“What is Terrorism?”). However, even though that it has already existed for much longer than the contemporary versions of governments, its essential purposes for the people who believe in its principle remain to be inadequately understood. For the past two decades, terrorists have performed tremendous violent deeds intended for assumed political and religious grounds. Various political ideologies extend from the extreme right and left wings. Even in religion, extremists, who frequently refuse the power of secular and legal systems, do exist. They view such beliefs that were not in line with the ones they have to be illegitimate (“What is Terrorism?”). Similarly important and alarming as the origin of terrorism is its continuous evolution that is parallel with the evolution of the society. In the 21st century scenario, terrorism was able to adapt to the changes that the society has undergone. The changes in the socio-political environment have not really affected terrorism that much. It was able to cope up with the developments that have occurred. In fact, the developments even helped the terrorists in executing their plans, obtain funds, and enhanced their operations and equipments. This is where the media, as a powerful entity in the society, gets involved (“What is Terrorism?”). Media and Terrorism ` In the recent developments that the society have undergone and currently been undergoing, terrorism did not suffer the effects of the said changes. These even become of advantage to them as technology improved the lines of media in making communication and information dissemination possible throughout the globe. COT Institute for Safety, Security and Crisis Management in its report has identified the current trend of terrorism which is directly and indirectly using the media to spread terror (“Terrorism and the Media”). The institute even coined that terrorism is a theatre since the attacks were cautiously planned in order to draw the attention of the media. In line with this, the media responds to the attack through coverage. As the media cover the terrorist attacks, they were unconsciously helping the rebels achieve their goal. According to Fawaz Gerges as cited in the Terrorism and the Media, Bin Laden was emphasized to be obsessed about the international media. Even Al-Zawahiri was alleged to share the same fascination with media (“Terrorism and the Media”). Because of this claims, it was argued that in the absence of media in terrorist attacks, the impact or effect of the said attack would be senseless making the attack useless since the wide audience was not informed and that fear and alarm was not extended. This was supported by Brigitte Nacos (2002) as she defines mass-mediated terrorism which she related to Sissella Bok’s definition of media violence. According to Nacos (2002), Bok has referred to media violence as the conveyance or portrayal of cruel exercises of force in the presence of the various forms of media. Nacos (2002) have also provided the difference of criminal violence as related to media violence and terrorism as linked to media violence. These two concepts were often interpreted to be the same even if they were not. The significant distinction between the two is the fact that people who commit criminal cases, usually, do not think about their action to be recognized by other people all around the globe to feel threatened or alarmed and definitely not because of spreading their political agenda. On the other hand, terrorism use threatening situations in order to make the media turn its attention towards them in order to convey their actions, grievances, and political plans (Nacos, 2002; Oates, 2008). This only means that numerous people were sacrificed jut to have the attention of the media and of the world for sheer political ends. There were four general objectives that the terrorists have which are dependent on media. The first one is the obvious reason to publicize heinous crimes. Terrorist groups do their best in order to stay as long as possible in the media to gain popularity that would eventually provide them the license and ability to extend fear and terror to people in a wider range. The second objective is to make the intention of the organization be known to people. The group commonly aims to let the people know why they are attacking. This is the part where their grievances were identified. Third part of the objective focuses on the idea that the terrorists intend to win respect and sympathy from the people or institution they plan to attack. Finally, the last objective is to obtain the same status of the genuine political actors when it comes to media coverage (“Terrorism and the Media”). Because of the state that media was already being seen as a means of terrorism, the earlier administrations have applied various approach just to counter the problems that was brought by international terrorism (Paletz and Schmid, 1992). One of the most common methods being utilized by the United States in order to combat terrorism is the application of sanctions (Perl, 2003). Governments that were identified to be supporting the principles and ideologies of terrorism were deprived of receiving both economic and military aid coming from the United States. As terrorism continues to develop along with the evolution of the society, policymakers were provided with greater challenge to keep the society in balance since the media is indirectly being of help to terrorists. The test for the policymakers, for now, is the necessity to determine the terrorists themselves and the people, government, or institution that provides support for the group to operate (Serfaty, 1991). This simple challenge among policymakers can oversee the future of terrorism in the world. Contemporary Terrorism Development has been aggressive in the contemporary society. The information delivery that have started from prints turned to commentaries on the airwaves which later on develop into audio-visual representations that has further transformed to a more highly mechanized electronic medium. The media coverage that has been blamed to be an unconscious agent of terrorism was in fact, already an older version of mass-mediated terrorism. Since the advent of the new technology, including the emergence of the internet, terrorism has found another easier and faster means of spreading the fright to people. In a review by Cheong (2009), it was identified how the internet pose potential risks in the safety of the society. With a simple knowledge on programming and intention of being a terrorist, one can already be a terrorist even without the physical participation of taking up arms and joining the group in hiding to various places. However, in both of the two reviewed papers, the people involved have asserted the significant role of the internet on their plans of terrorism. On the other hand, International Centre for the Study of Radicalization and Political Violence (ICSR) has viewed that this internet terrorism is far way less dangerous than the ones physically done in public areas (Cheong, 2009). These arguing point of views were significant to be settled since the result is important in the formation of policy for the benefit of the society. As of now, the policies of the United States were concentrated towards the Al Qaeda terrorist group and its affiliated networks and supporters (Perl, 2003). However, in the future, more terrorist groups may emerge through the indirect aid of the media. Although this is the case for media and terrorism, it does not necessarily mean that media is really the best friend of terrorism. It is significant to remember the roles of the media that were mentioned since these are helpful in determining the essence why media exist. Laqueur may have seen various evidences that link the media and terrorism but there are also factors that influence the reasons why these links have emerged such as the duty and responsibility of media to the people. The most important to do now is to determine how policies can help in order to cut the links without the compromising the media’s role and responsibility towards the society. References Cheong, P. H. (2009, March 26). A Broader view of internet radicalization. Retrieved from http://comops.org/journal/2009/03/26/a-broader-view-of-internet-radicalization/ Morton, L. P. (2009, July 31). Influence of media on society. Retrieved from http://www.strategicmarketsegmentation.com/blog/influence-of-media-on-society/ Nacos, B. L. (2002). Mass-mediated terrorism: the central role of the media in terrorism and counterterrorism. New York: Rowman & Littlefield. Oates, S. (2008). Introduction to political communications. London: Sage. Paletz, D.L. and A. P. Schmid (eds.) (1992). Terrorism and the media: How researchers, terrorists, government, press, public, victims view and use the media. Newbury Park, CA: Sage. Perl, R. (2003, April 11). Terrorism, the future, and u.s. foreign policy. Retrieved from http://www.fas.org/irp/crs/IB95112.pdf Serfaty, S. (ed.) (1991). The media and foreign policy. New York: St. Martin’s Press. Terrorism and the media. (2008, July 23). Retrieved from http://www.transnationalterrorism.eu/tekst/publications/WP4%20Del%206.pdf The Media’s role in society. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.mona.uwi.edu/jct/documents/scott.pdf What is Terrorism?. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.terrorism-research.com/ Read More