The Relationship Between The Media And Terrorism Essay.
The contemporary world has largely become similar to a global village where the upsurge
of modern technology has made it possible for people to feel closely connected despite the
disparities in distance. The rapid infiltration of various means of communication such as
television, computers, internet and even live video calls has significantly contributed to the
improvement of the mass media industry. The Relationship Between The Media And Terrorism Essay. Presently, media is viewed as a mouthpiece of the masses and it is highly instrumental when it comes to shaping the opinions and viewpoints of the public. The restriction of media in any country or state is actually likened to the existence of stagnant water where ignorant and ill-informed people are bound to be many.
The mass media has actually grown to become an indispensable tool that has gained a
whole new dimension and angle that has transformed the current generation into one that is
thirsty for knowledge. However, the rising popularity of the media has come with its fair share of
bottlenecks such that it is possible to commit all sorts of crimes. The entrenchment of this tool in
society makes it impossible for people to survive and co-exist without it. Moreover, the media
has grown and flourished to become a powerful weapon that is easily exploited by malicious and
spiteful individuals. The Relationship Between The Media And Terrorism Essay. The terrorist community is one of the groups that has largely benefited from
the expansion of media such that is has now become convenience and easy for them to stage acts
of crime. Additionally, most of the perpetrators of this activity are able to execute a terror attack
from the comfort and luxury of their homes.
The mass media has also played a significant role in portraying some of these terror
attacks and has also affected the perception of the general public. This paper provides a comprehensive and cutting-edge essay that delves into the query of how the media is portraying
the recent terrorist attacks and the effect this has had on the general public. The Relationship Between The Media And Terrorism Essay.
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Research Question:
How is the media portraying the recent terrorist attacks and what effect has this had on
the general public?
Body of the essay
The relationship between the media and terrorism can be described as a dangerous
symbiotic union that poses numerous threats to the existence of the human race. The process of
reporting an act of terrorism can be a daunting task for a journalist who has to incorporate
fairness, objectivity and accuracy so as to reveal the real issues behind a criminal attack
(Drehle et al 2015, p. 49). It should be noted that one of the core functions and roles of the media
is to provide credible and reliable information about events that are either ongoing or current.
This process ends up enlightening and educating the public and the society as well who become
more aware about what is happening around them. It is for this reason that people rely on the
news to know when they are safe, whether they are in danger and if there is a need to relocate
(Slone and Baumgarten 2008, p. 243). The Relationship Between The Media And Terrorism Essay.
A conceptual analysis into the mutual relationship that exists between the terrorist
community and the media shows that news coverage is often aligned with the objectives of the
masterminds. This means that journalists and newsrooms do not merely reveal all the
information to the public, but instead they select the events, occurrences and information in a
meticulous manner. One of the common ways in which the media highlights terrorism is that it
often links it to one of the practices of the Muslim community or religion (Sheppard et al 2006, p. 219). As such, people who practice Islam are viewed as terrorists and criminals who cannot
hesitate to kill innocent human beings. The Relationship Between The Media And Terrorism Essay.
A classic example lies in the popular film titled “Crimson Jihad” where one particular
group is depicted as wanting to blow up the American city of Miami. This movie shows people
dressed up as Arabs as being highly responsible for the terror attack that leaves several officers
injured together with other Jews, Christians and blacks (Yarchi et al 2015, p. 117). The process
of highlighting this particular group of people resulted in a lot of negative criticism where the
actors were viewed as a representation of the Islamic community. This fact can be supported by
the assertion that there is a lot of stereotyping that is focused on the Muslim community (Yarchi
et al 2015, p. 117). The Relationship Between The Media And Terrorism Essay.
This is because the media often depict people of this faith as either criminals, extremists
or murderers that are willing to do anything to harm their immediate neighbor. This viewpoint is
strongly held by many despite the fact that there is a lot of education and awareness that is going
on with regards to multicultural and multiracial societies (Yarchi et al 2015, p. 117). The media
in most countries often equates the practice of Islam with violence and terrorism where virtually
all Muslims are reduced to individuals that are highly radicalized. What’s more, the portrayal of
Islam faithful in the media does not give any consideration to the group of people who can still
be followers of this religion and maintain a high level of integrity. The Relationship Between The Media And Terrorism Essay.
The media often goes ahead to misrepresent the majority of people in developed and
developing countries who are highly educated, socially upright and even successful (Nguyen
2014, p. 109). The heightened level of stereotyping Muslims in the media has proliferated the
society in a way that is not experienced with other minority groups. The mass media can also be
described as being highly racist and prejudiced when it comes to covering attacks of terrorism. This is clearly seen through the outbreak of terror that plagued the country of France in
November last year. The coverage of this story in the media through international news channels
such as CNN, BBC and even France today gave the public the feeling that the world had been
grinded to a halt (Schulenberg and Chenier 2014, p. 261). This is because of the manner in which
news outlets devoted massive efforts to provide the public with non-stop information about how
terrorists got their way into Paris. The Relationship Between The Media And Terrorism Essay.
The consequence of this reaction by the media is that it created the illusion to the public
that France is one of the countries that is extremely safe and secure (Jackson 2010, p. 15).
Hence, the fact that people in Paris woke up to a horrendous act of terror was seen as the
unimaginable actually coming to pass. Moreover, the media also created the misconception that
everyone in the world should feel sympathetic towards France regardless of their ethnic
affiliation or descent (Delshad and Raymond 2013, p. 195). This explains why a large number of
people all across the globe went berserk and changed their profiles on Twitter, Instagram and
Facebook to show their solidarity to the casualties of the terrorism attack in this country. The Relationship Between The Media And Terrorism Essay.
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The coverage of the France attack in the media begets the question why this nation was
seen as being superior over all other countries that have experienced similar attacks. This brings
out keenly the aspect of biases and racial segregation where the French citizens that lost their
lives are highlighted being more valuable in the world as compared to any other group of people
(Penaskovic 2014, p. 517). It is clear that the mass media is selective on what stories they cover
when it comes to acts of terror because in the same year that France was hit by outlawed groups,
Lebanon and Kenya also faced the same crisis. The country of Lebanon experienced one of its
worst terrorist attacks where more than 40 people were killed and more than 200 others were left
severely injured. This incident occurred in the outskirts of Beirut in an area that is surprisingly inhabited by
Muslims that belong to the Shia group (Post et al 2014, p. 308). However, the manner in which
this story was covered in the media was quite scanty and infant few people admit that they are
even aware of it. This is ironic, especially considering the fact that the Beirut and Paris attacks
were staged and executed in the same month of November in late 2015. It is exciting to note that one media house stated that a terrorist attack had been
experienced in France and this issue should be declared as a state of emergency (Post et al 2014,
p. 308). On the other hand, the same media house covered the story of the terrorist attacks in
Lebanon but it simply stated that “dozens of people” had been killed in Beirut. This example
brings in the issue of unfairness and lack of transparency because two countries were facing the
same predicament yet the media choose to focus on one country and alienate the other. What is
more surprising is that some newsrooms were reported to have claimed that Lebanon had
received its own punishment since most of the fatalities from the bombing were actually
Muslims (Drehle et al 2015, p. 49). The process of not being fair and just by the media often makes the public feel that they
are caught at cross-roads over what to believe as the plain truth. Moreover, it also begins to
cultivate a seed of religious and racial prejudice where some people from the western part of the
world can easily begin to despise people from other countries. The fact that the media
concentrated on highlighting the recent attacks on Paris shows that there is a lot of western
influence when it comes to modern journalism (Slone and Baumgarten 2008, p. 246). The
majority of media stations feel like they have to become sycophantic and flattery towards the
west so that they can receive a lot of accolade and recognition in return. The Relationship Between The Media And Terrorism Essay.
This results in weakening the media industry since it no longer becomes reliable but is
instead prone to being manipulated by the forces and pressures of the west (Sheppard et al 2006,
p. 223). The fact that the media sends mixed signals to the public when it comes to issues of
terrorism is also clearly evident when it comes to how coverage was done to the bombing of a
Kenyan university in early 2015. The month of April saw the Kenyan community waking up to
the sorrowful realization that the outlawed Al Shabab group had bombed the Garrisa University
College located in the northern part of the country. This terrorism attack saw more than 150
students lose their lives with hundreds more being severely injured or maimed for life (Sheppard
et al 2006, p. 223).
Interestingly, this news story was poorly covered by both regional and international
media who barely reported that “few Kenyans had lost their lives to the hands of criminals”. The
CNN that is one of the largest international media houses covered the story in the attack on the
Kenyan University by stating that this country was actually a “hotbed of terror”. In so doing, the
media was trying to send a message to the larger public that Kenya is one of the most dangerous
locations to visit as a tourist or to inhabit as a native citizen. Consequently, a lot of people resorted to the social media to pour out their thoughts on what they perceived of Kenya. The
majority of them criminalized the country as opposed to empathizing with the victims and what
had been done to innocent civilians (Nguyen 2014, p. 112). The Relationship Between The Media And Terrorism Essay.
Hence, this example shows how the media can become a weapon of destruction as it can
actually persuade people and deceive them into thinking that something is right while it is
actually not. Moreover, this perception is bound to infiltrate into the minds of the public since the
outreach of the media has been made swift with the spread of modern technology (Schulenberg
and Chenier 2014, p. 264). Therefore, it is not uncommon or unusual to find a large group of
people having similar opinions after a particular story has been covered or discussed in the news.
The process of discriminating against a given group of people in the media is not only limited to
Muslims, but is also extended to people of color. The Relationship Between The Media And Terrorism Essay.
The recent shootings of more than ten Americans in Charleston as they were leaving a
church in early June last year is an act of crime that was committed surprisingly by man of white
descent (Jackson 2010, p. 17). However, the occurrence of this act of terror is not new to the
media because black American churches have for a long time been seen as targets of
supremacists from the white community who have frequently bombed and torched these places
of worship (Delshad and Raymond 2013, p. 196). Their ultimate goal is to inflict fear by using
terrorism so that the spread of religion among the black community remains stunted. Despite this
historical knowledge, the manner in which this particular story was covered in the news was
highly controversial and prejudiced compared to other acts of terror (Delshad and Raymond
2013, p. 196). The Relationship Between The Media And Terrorism Essay.
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A number of renowned media outlets were reported as using the words “white male
suspect” instead of referring to him as a terrorist. In fact, the mainstream media houses in the United States stated that this man could have been mentally ill and this was the reason that led
him to commit the crime (Yarchi et al 2015, p. 118). This discrepancy in media coverage sends
signals to the public and makes them believe that shooters who are of black descent such as
African Americans, black Muslims or Arabs are the true terrorists or thugs. On the other hand,
shooters or criminals that are of white descent and take part in the execution of a crime should be
seen as people with a mental problem. The Relationship Between The Media And Terrorism Essay.
This shows how the mass media can be highly racist when it comes to matters of terror
where they are willing to employ the use of proverbial narratives to suit their own version of a
story. The phrase “mental illness” was used interchangeably in place of terrorism by pundits of
the media to describe what was troubling the white American shooter (Penaskovic 2014, p. 519).
This also brings into perspective the fact that the media is very quick to humanize the terrorist
activities of any person of white color by going ahead to describe them as being sick, mentally
unstable or even victims of prolonged mistreatment (Sheppard et al 2006, p. 223). On the side of
the public and people in society, they believe that there is power in bring white especially where
issues of terror and crime are concerned.
The large number of people believe that the media is quick to exonerate a person
involved in an act of crime as long as their skin color is white (Post et al 2014, p. 30). It can also
be stated that most media outlets have different policies and practices when it comes to covering
a terrorist activity that involves someone who is either Muslim or black. The media depicts the
latter as hardcore criminals and thugs that were fueled and motivated by malice as opposed to
justice. The opposite is true for terrorists who are white Americans or Europeans where the
media portrays them as people who might have been confused and that is why they engaged in a criminal act. The case of the Charleston shooting saw most newsrooms paint the victim as a
person who act solely because he had nobody to advise him (Post et al 2014, p. 30). The Relationship Between The Media And Terrorism Essay.
On the other hand, terrorism that is carried out by blacks and Muslims is seen as a deed
that is highly systemic that strives to gain recognition and accolade from its masterminds in the
game. Moreover, the media highly vilifies terrorist victims who are black in the sense that they
are subjected to dehumanizing and embarrassing investigations and court sentences. It is
common to find simple behaviors being blown out of proportion by the media that then proceeds
to incite the media into believing a given theory (Jackson 2010, p. 17). For instance, giant
newsrooms are notorious for associating the wearing of hooded jackets to the black community
and they believe that any person that possesses such attire is an experienced criminal or terrorist.
The message that is then disseminated to the public is pegged on the notion that blacks
are criminals while white people are undoubtedly saints in the making. This massive form of
stereotyping is common with most minority groups across major continents such as America,
Europe and even Australia (Drehle et al 2015, p. 51). Some journals and newsrooms are even
known to be very specific and particular when it comes to designing of billboards and
advertisements that campaign against acts of terrorism. The Relationship Between The Media And Terrorism Essay.
One such media house located in the city of San Diego was cited to pull down an
advertisement that was meant to educate people against the vices of terrorism simply because
there were photos of some Muslims in it (Sheppard et al 2006, p. 223). According to the chief
editor, the presence of this group of people meant that the advert assumed a non-American view
since the parties in it did not have white color. The large biasness in the media can also be
attributed to the fact that most newsrooms wish to be more associated and connected with the
victims that they can identify with and relate to them (Sheppard et al 2006, p. 223). This explains why a media house would easily take a lot of time to dwell on a terrorist
attack in the US or Europe as compared to other regions. The reason is because most global
media houses are located in these regions and they tend to influence the perception of the public
in a significant manner. In the wake of all these arguments, the media should acknowledge the
fact that it is the mirror of society and it is capable of deflecting serious truths at the expense of
the public.
Conclusion
The mass media in the present age is characterized by a lot of revolutionary and
transformative changes that have negatively and positively impacted the manner of delivery of
information. The priorities of most newsrooms has changed such that the journalism truism is
pegged on highlighting the stories that would seem more surprising to the public. This assertion
is clearly seen in the mode in which the media portrays acts of terrorism and the subsequent
views that are picked up by the public on the same issue. The Relationship Between The Media And Terrorism Essay.
The majority of news outlets can be described as being prejudicial and biased in the sense
that they assign more importance to one country as opposed to another even if the storyline is the
same. The year 2015 saw Kenya, France and Lebanon experience deadly terrorist attacks that
shook the state security systems in a large manner. However, the terrorist attack that plagued
Paris was given more importance as opposed to the other countries simply because it was staged
in European soil. Additionally, the media has also come out as a body that is highly racial in
nature since it believes that terrorism can only be orchestrated by people who are either Muslims
or blacks. This negative portrayal of the media on acts of terrorism should be grinded to a halt in
order to avoid the decline in credibility of this vital mirror of society. The Relationship Between The Media And Terrorism Essay.
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