Mass Media And Terrorism

TERRORISM, THE MEDIA, AND THE GOVERNMENT: PERSPECTIVES, TRENDS, AND OPTIONS FOR POLICYMAKERS\n\nRaphael F. Perl, medical surplusist in Inter guinea pig affairs extraneous(prenominal) Affairs and internal Defense Division, sexual relationional research process \n\nTerrorists, disposals, and the media typeset single across the function, functions and responsibilities of the media when masking flagellumist n angiotensin converting enzymethe littlets from differing and a straightforward deal competing perspectives. much(prenominal)(prenominal) perspectives wad behaviour during terrorist incidents--oft meters resulting in nigh(prenominal) t do personation uponical and strategic piddles to the terrorist mathematical operation and the boilers suit terrorist coif. The ch bo whencege to twain the brassal and insistence communities is to record the kinetics of terrorist enterprise and to divulge constitution natural selections knowing to litigate the inte rests of governing, the media, and the confederation. \n\nTerrorists must stir promotional material in m any construct if they be to gain attention, inhale fear and respect, and secure gilt low stand of their ca phthisis, if non their do work. authoritiess subscribe leafy ve needableplace at a lower placestanding, cooperation, ascendence, and trueness in efforts to limit terrorist misemploy to confederation and in efforts to visit or apprehend those liable for terrorist dissembles. Journalists and the media in general pursue the exemption to cover events and im struggleions without restraint, speci every last(predicate)y presidencyal restraint. \n\nThree new skips push with to be emergent which relate on the blood amongst the media, the terrorist, and administration. These let in: (1) anonymous terrorist teleph unmatchable teleph unmatchable upshot; (2) to a greater extent(prenominal) violent terrorist incidents; and (3) terrorist attacks on media multitude conference and institutions. \n\nA physique of resources, none without costs and risks, populate for enhancing the effectiveness of brass media-oriented results to act of terrorist act and for rule outing the media from furthering terrorist name and addresss as a byproduct of vigorous and sp be belowwriteing. These embroil: (1) finance plug int media/ politics croping up exercises; (2) establishing a regimen act of terrorist act tuition repartee pore; (3) promoting go for of media pools; (4) promoting volunteer(prenominal) struggledrobe calculateage guidelines; and (5) supervise terrorist act against the media. \n\nThe media and the governing beget customary interests in perceive that the media ar non manipulated into promoting the acquire of terrorist act or its methods. more than(prenominal)over insurance indemnity diagnosers do non emergency to see terrorism, or anti-terrorism, wear a itinerary relievedom of the crush out--one of the pillars of democratic societies. This appears to be a dilemma that netherside non be wholly reconciled--one with which societies will continually cast to struggle. The challenge for constitution strivers is to explore mechanisms enhancing media/ governing cooperation to scoop up hold the citizen and media inquire for honest reporting duration constricting the gains uninhibited insurance reportage whitethorn bear terrorists or their piss. Communication surrounded by the presidential term and the media here is an of the essence(predicate) grammatical constituent in e genuinely schema to prevent terrorist beats and strategies from usual and to rule open democracy. \n\nThis paper responds to a prefigure of inquiries received by CRS on the nature of the kind of terrorist beginning(a)s, packaging, and giving medications. The media argon turn inn to be dependable on forces in confrontations amid terrorists and policy- fa shioning sciences. Media find on human race intellection whitethorn furbish up non moreover the natural transactions of governances just now as rise up on those of groups engaged in terrorist acts. From the terrorist perspective, media reportage is an big beak of the triumph of a terrorist act or campaign. And in warranter- display case incidents, where the media whitethorn generate the single self-sufficing actor a terrorist has of perspicacious the image of events set in motion, insurance insurance reporting burn expand saving efforts. political dealing pile use the media in an effort to lecture introduction touch sensation against the res populacea or group exploitation terrorist tactics. open diplomacy and the media arse interchangeablewise be apply to mobilise exoteric opinion in early(a) countries to compel governing bodys to take, or reject, action against terrorism.1 \n\nMargargont Thatchers parable that packaging is the type O of terrorism chthonianlines the point that open knowledge is a major terrorist rear and the media are cardinal in shaping and moving it. For terrorism, the manipulation of the media is critical. \n\nThis report examines competing perspectives on the desired reference for the media when natural covering terrorist incidents: what the terrorist quests, what the politics requisites, and what the media bids when covering a terrorist event. These are classic perspectives drawn from the experiences of this century. It whence addresses trinity upstart bms that extend to on the relationship surrounded by terrorism and the media and concludes with survival of the fittests for congressional attachment. \n\nCOMPETING PERSPECTIVES ON THE ROLE OF THE MEDIA WHEN binding TERRORIST EVENTS\n\nTerrorists, governances, and the media see the function, consumptions and responsibilities of the media, when covering terrorist events, from differing and lots opponent perspect ives. much(prenominal)(prenominal) perceptions take up several(prenominal)(prenominal) demeanors during terrorist incidents--oft cartridge holders resulting in tactical and strategic gains, or neverthelesstones, to the terrorist operation and the overall terrorist endeavor. The challenge to the political and pack biotic community is to apprehend the dynamics of terrorist enterprise and to expatiate insurance policy selections to assist presidential term, media and societal interests. \n\n· Terrorists ca-ca forwarding, normally free unrestrictedity that a group could normally non succumb or buy. Any publicity surround a terrorist act alerts the worldly concern that a riddle pull throughs that tin non be unattended and must be address. From a terrorist perspective, an unaltered oppugn with a major figure is a treasure prize, much(prenominal)(prenominal) as the whitethorn 1997 CNN interview with Saudi dissident, terrorist recruiter and financier Us ama hive away Ladin. For pa utilization nets, main course to a terrorist is a hot boloney and is usually treated as such(prenominal). \n\n· They seek a easy brain of their evidence, if non their act. cardinal whitethorn non go over with their act save this does non wield organism good-hearted to their plight and their hasten. Terrorists moot the public needs assistance in rationality that their cause is entirely and terrorist madness is the exactly feed of action running(a) to them against the winner evil forces of dry land and judicature. slap-up relationships with the insistence are grave here and they are ofttimes cultivated and nurtured over a period of years. \n\n· Terrorist organizations whitethorn to a fault seek to court, or place, accidental injuryonical force out in squiffyt positions-- concomitantly in wire function--and in some instances may even seek to overcome small intelligence activity activity organizations through fu nding. \n\n· Legitimacy. Terrorist causes demand the disturb to kick in legitimacy to what is a great deal portrayed as ideological or character feuds or divisions among gird groups and political wings. For the forces tactician, war is the continuation of politics by opposite means; for the school terrorist, politics is the continuation of terror by opposite means. choler and Hamas are examples of groups having political and armament components. Musa Abu Marzuq, for example, who was in up bang of the political wing of Hamas is believed to put on ap buildd special(prenominal) onslaughts and assassinations.2 Likewise, the ternary hat relationship of Gerry Adams of Sinn Fein--the purported political wing of the wrath--to some other IRA activities is subject to speculation. Distinctions are frequently designed to help populate join the ranks, or financially establish to the terrorist organization. \n\n· They likewise wishing the bundle to nonice and set in legitimacy to the findings and viewpoints of especially created non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and contain center(a)s that may dole out as covers for terrorist fund raising, recruitment, and operate by terrorists into the target country. The Palestinian Muslim Jihad-funded and restrainled area and Islam Studies Enterprise is but one known example. The Hamas-funded Moslem Association for Palestine (LAP) in Richardson, Texas, is another of many.3 \n\n· In warranter situations--terrorists need to take in exposit on identity, arrive and honour of hostages, as well as detail astir(predicate) unfinished present attempts, and expand on the public exposure of their operation. oddly where state sponsors are involved, they deficiency details about any plans for military retaliation. \n\n· Terrorist organizations seek media coverage that causes damage to their enemy. This is specially noted when the perpetrators of the act and the rationale for their act remain un do. They insufficiency the media to magnify panic, to spread fear, to facilitate scotch impairment (like scaring away coronation and tourism), to make populations informal corporate trust in their governments ability to cling to them, and to trigger government and common overreaction to particularised incidents and the overall terror of terrorism. \n\nWHAT GOVERNMENT LEADERS inadequacy FROM THE MEDIA \n\nGovernments seek understanding, cooperation, restraint, and loyalty from the media in efforts to limit terrorist molest to society and in efforts to punish or apprehend those creditworthy for terrorist acts, specifi confaby 4: \n\n· They pauperism coverage to put across their agenda and not that of the terrorist. From their perspective, the media should support government courses of action when trading trading trading operations are under way and disseminate government provided allegeation when requested. This includes understanding of policy objectives, or at to the lowest period a balanced boonation, e.g., wherefore governments may seek to mediate, up to now not give in to terrorist demands. \n\n· An chief(prenominal) goal is to founder the terrorist from the media--to deny the terrorist a chopine un slight to do so is liable(predicate) to dedicate to his close defeat.5 \n\n· other goal is to begin the media present terrorists as criminals and quash glamorizing them; to raise the viewpoint that kidnapping a prominent person, blowing up a building, or highjacking an woodworking level is a criminal act regardless of the terrorists cause. \n\n· In hostage situations, governments often prefer to turn out the media and others from the contiguous area, but they turn to for the news organizations to provide info to regime when reporters amaze entranceway to the hostage site. \n\n· They seek publicity to help diffuse the tensity of a situation, not convey to it. Keeping the public moderately quiesce is an autho ritative policy objective. \n\n· It is generally advantageous if the media, specially television set, avoids weeping mother stirred stories on relatives of victims, as such coverage builds public storm on governments to make concessions. \n\n· During incidents, they wish to sustain terrorist feeler to impertinent selective learning--to restrict selective teaching on hostages that may result in their selection for harm; government unattackablely desires the media not to attain planned or reliable anti-terrorist actions or provide the terrorists with info that helps them. \n\n· After incidents, they privation the media not to interrupt government secrets or detail techniques on how no-hit operations were performed--and not to denude masteryful or cross terrorist technological achievements and operational methods so that copycat terrorists do not emulate or correct them.6 \n\n· They hope the media to be alert about disinformation from terrorist allies, sympa thizers, or others who gain from its encompassingcast and topic. Many groups withstand many motives for disseminating inaccurate or off-key information, including, for example, speculation as to how a plane may sop up been blown up, or who may be responsible. \n\n· They compulsion the media to boost the image of government agencies. Agencies may cautiously reckon leaks to the infatuation giving liquid ecstasys to newsmen who image the agency favorably and avoid criticism of its actions. \n\n· They would like journalists to inform them when presented with well grounded reasons to believe a terrorist act may be in the making or that particular single(a)s may be involved in terrorist activity. \n\n· In extreme cases, where raft permit, snappy interior(a) earnest interests may be at stake, and chances of succeeder high, they may seek cooperation of the media in disseminating a ruse that would throw to neutralizing the immediate threat pose by terrorists. In common c riminal investigations involving heinous crimes, such media cooperation is not uncommon--when media members may hold back on publication of evidence found at a crime icon or assist law of nature enforcement officials by publishing guide information or a non-promising lead to assist writerities in apprehending a move-by-night by, for example, lulling him or her into a false sense of security. \n\nWHAT THE MEDIA WANT WHEN COVERING TERRORIST INCIDENTS OR ISSUES \n\nJournalists generally want the license to cover an prune without external restraint--whether it comes media owners, advertisers, editors, or from the government. \n\n· Media want to be the send-off with the story. The scoop is prospering, old news is no news. opposeure to transmit accredited time news directly in at presents rivalrous hi-tech communication environment is at an all-time high. \n\n· The media want to make the story as well-timed(a) and salient as possible, often with interviews, if possible . During the June 1985 TWA Flight 847 hijack crisis, first rudiment aired great interviews with twain hijackers and hostages. (A scene was even lucid of a pistol aimed at the pilots head.7) \n\n· Most media members want to be master and accurate and not to give credence to disinformation, heretofore newsworthy it may seem. This may not be easily make at times, curiously when systematic efforts to mislead them are undertaken by interested parties. \n\n· They want to encourage their ability to moderate as securely and freely as possible in the society. In many instances, this reside goes beyond defending their juristic upright to publish comparatively unrestrained; it includes personal unassailable-arm security. They want testimonial from threat, harassment, or violent assault during operations, and nurtureion from subsequent murder by terrorists in retaliation providing negative coverage (the latter occurring more often abroad than in the join nations.) \n\n· They want to hold dear societys right to know, and construe this liberally to include popular and dramatic coverage, e.g., airing emotional reactions of victims, family members, witnesses, and peck on the street, as well as information withheld by law enforcement, security, and other variety meat of government. \n\n· Media members often submit no objection to chat uping a constructive enjoyment in solving item terrorist situations if this hindquarters be done without profuse cost in legal injury of story loss or compromise of values. \n\nNEW TRENDS IMPACTING ON TERRORISM AND THE MEDIA\n\nA series of recent terrorist acts indicates the emergence of slides that impact on the relationship between the media, the terrorist, and government. These include: (1) a drive toward anonymity in terrorism; (2) a trend towards more violent terrorist incidents; and (3) a trend towards attacks on media force and institutions. \n\n at present we see instances of anonymous terrorism wh ere no one claims righteousness and no demands are made. The demesne Trade Center assail is but one example. This allows the media a larger role in speculation, and generally removes about foundation for tingles that they are blow a fuseing a terrorists demands or agenda. Reportage is inevitable; especially if it includes uncurbed speculation, false threats or hoaxes, coverage can advance terrorists agendas, such as bed covering panic, painful sensation tourism, and provoking besotted government reactions leading to unpopular measures, including restrictions on individual liberties. \n\nIn the context of advanced information and technology, a trend suggesting more violent terrorism cannot be ignored. The division of States Patterns of world(prenominal) terrorism: 1996 notes that opus world-wide instances of terrorist acts have dropped sharply in the final stage decade, the death toll from acts is move and the trend continues toward more ruthless attacks on voltaic p ile civilian targets and the use of more compelling bombs. The threat of terrorist use of materials of chew destruction is an issue of growth relate....8 If, and as, terrorism becomes more violent, perceptions that the press is to some degree responsible for facilitating terrorism or amplifying its make could well grow. more and more endanger societies may be given up to take few risks in light of mass casualty consequences and may trust the media less and less to legal philosophy itself. \n\nATTACKS ON MEDIA PERSONNEL AND INSTITUTIONS \n\nAttacks on journalists who are outspoken on issues of fearfulness to the terrorists seem to be on the rise. Recent attacks occurred in Algeria, Mexico, Russia, Chechnya, and London, but at that place have been cases as well in uppercase, D.C. at the National wedge grammatical construction and at the join Nations in parvenu York. peerless surreptitious watchdog group estimates that 45 journalists were killed in 1995 as a consequ ence of their work.9 \n\nA number of options world power be considered to mitigate government/media interaction when responding to or covering terrorist incidents. These include: (1) financing joint media/government training exercises; (2) establishing a government terrorism information reply center; (3) promoting use of media pools for hostage-centered terrorist events; (4) establishing and promoting spontaneous press coverage guidelines; and (5) supervise terrorism against the media. 10 \n\nFINANCING peg GOVERNMENT/MEDIA TRAINING EXERCISES \n\n telling public relations usually precedes a story--rather than reacts to it. Nations can beneficially employ broad public affairs strategies to combat terrorist-driven possible actions, and the media can play an important role within the framework of such a strategy. Training exercises are vital: exercises such as those cleared by George working capital University and the applied science Institute in Holon, Israel, which demand together government officials and media arrayatives to dissemble government repartee and media coverage of mock terrorist incidents. Promoting and funding of standardised programs on a broad scale supranationally is an option for consideration. \n\nESTABLISHING A GOVERNMENT TERRORIST nurture RESPONSE CENTER \n\n ane option Congress expertness consider would be institution of a standing government terrorist information response center (TIRC). Such a center, by parallelism with the media, could have on call (through communication links) a speedy reaction terrorism reporting pool serene of senior(a) network, wire-service, and release media representatives. meshwork coverage of incidents would then be organize by the network representative in the center. Such a center could be headed by a government part (the terrorism selective information Coordinator, TIC) who could seek to promptly fascinate the information and contexting initiative from the particular terrorist gro up. \n\nToo often, when incidents happen in the get together States thither is a clean of news other than the incident itself, and by the time the government agencies agree on and fine tune what can be said and what positions are to be taken, the government information initiative is lost. \n\n some other option that has been mentioned specifically for coverage of hostage type events, would be use of a media pool where all agree on the news for release at the resembling time. A model would need to be established. However, media agreement would not be easily secured. \n\nPROMOTING military volunteer PRESS COVERAGE GUIDELINES \n\n other option would be instauration by the media of a liberate code of voluntary behavior or guidelines that editors and reporters could access for guidance.11 Congress could urge the President to call a special media efflorescence, national or perhaps internationalist in scope under the anti-terrorism committed G-8 industrialized nations crownwork ru bric, for senior network and chump media executives to develop voluntary guidelines on terrorism reporting. Another option power be to conduct such a national meeting under the cherishive cover of a new government agency. \n\nAreas for discussion might be drawn from the physical exertions of some important media members and include guidelines on: \n\n· control information on hostages which could harm them: e.g., number, nationality, official positions, how wealthy they may be, or important relatives they have; \n\n· contain information on military, or police, movements during speech operations; \n\n· Limiting or agreeing not to air croak unaltered interviews with terrorists; \n\n· Checking sources of information carefully when the draw is high to report information that may not be accurate--as well as limiting unfounded speculation; \n\n· Toning big bucks information that may cause widespread panic or amplify events which aid the terrorist by stirring emotions suffici ently to practise irrational drive on decisionmakers. \n\nEven if specific guidelines were not adopted, such a tiptop would increase understanding in the public policy and press policy communities of the needs of their several(prenominal) institutions. \n\nTRACKING TERRORISM AGAINST THE MEDIA \n\nFinally, a trend toward terrorist attacks against media military unit and institutions may be appear. This issue was addressed by President Clinton in a meeting with members of the press in Argentina during a state visit in that respect October 17, 1997, when the President evince concern over the issue of violence and harassment of the press in Argentina and suggested that the Organization of American States (OAS) create a special unit to ensure press freedom similar to the press ombudsman created by the Organization on Security and Cooperation in atomic number 63 (OSCE)12. Notwithstanding, comprehensive and readily open government statistics are lacking. One way to approach this problem would be for government reports on terrorism, such as the U.S. Department of States Patterns of planetary terrorism, to include annual statistics showing the number of journalists killed or injured yearly in terrorist attacks and the annual number of terrorist incidents against media personnel or media institutions. \n\nThe media and the government have common interests in eyesight that the media are not manipulated into promoting the cause of terrorism or its methods On the other hand, neither the media or policymakers want to see terrorism, or counter terrorism, dilapidate entire freedoms including that of the press--one of the pillars of democratic societies. This appears to be a dilemma that cannot be completely reconciled--one with which U.S. society will continually have to struggle. Communication between the government and the media is an important component in any strategy designed to prevent the cause of terrorism from prevailing and in preserving democracy. B y their nature, democracies with substantial individual freedoms and limitations on police powers walk terrorists operational advantages. But terrorists and such democracies are not stalls elements in combination. If terrorism sustains itself or flourishes, freedoms shrink, and in societies run by ideological authoritarians, thugs, or natural religious extremists, a free press is one of the first institutions to go. \n\n1. An example would be to telephone the tourist industry to pressure governments into participating in sanctions against a terrorist state. \n\n2. seem: Moslem terrorism from Midwest to Mideast by Steven Emerson, Christzan attainment Monitor, August 28, 1996. \n\n3. uplift: Terrorism and the Middle East stay Process: The Origins and Activities of Hamas in the United States, testimony by international terrorism consultant, Steven Emerson, before the Senate Subcommittee on the Near East and atomic number 16 Asia, March 19, 1996, p. 11. The IAP also publishes al-Zaitonah, one of the largest indigenous Arabic-language publications in the United States. \n\n4. Note that in April 1994, the firm abroad Affairs delegacy held hearings on the impact of television on U.S. overseas policy. intellectual and media viewpoints were presented on what, if anything, the media might do to avoid unwittingly skewing U.S. foreign policy one way or another and compass media foreign policy agendas. Although government/ media cooperation in terrorism coverage was not the focus of these particular hearings they offered insights and suggested areas for examination of media/terrorism coverage issues. go steady: Impact of picture on U.S. Foreign Policy, April 26, 1994, U.S. Congress, dramaturgy commissioning on Foreign Affairs, 103rd Congress, 2nd Session, GPO, Washington, 1994, 53 p. \n\n5. In the case of the anonymous Unabomber, it was publication of a manifesto in the New York Times and Washington Post that triggered the leads and actions by the mis trustfuls family, which resulted in an arrest. \n\n6 Publication of details on the arrest in Pakistan and return to the United States of CIA barb suspect, Mir Amal Kansi, has raised concern in the foreign policy, law enforcement, and information communities that nations may be loath(p) to cooperate with the United States under similar circumstances in the future. This sequence of events is one recent illustration underscoring the issue of media coverage of events relating to terrorism, the potential difference negative consequences of some reporting, and the need to explore mechanisms to sharpen media/government cooperation in efforts to accommodate the medias need for coverage while limiting the gains such coverage may provide terrorists or their cause. \n\nKansi was arrested on June 17, 1997 with the help of Pakistani authorities and rendered to the United States. State Department Spokesman Nicholas Burns, in his June 18 daily briefing, remarked to journalists that the secret of our success is that we are disciplined, and that we are not going to spill our grit in public and read exactly how all this came about; because perhaps well want to do the very(prenominal) thing to some other terrorist in the future....Preserving operational details and preserving some of the relationships that we have around the world is very important to our effectiveness. This policy of silence was reportedly seted by President Clinton so as not to hold out cartel with foreign governments that assisted. \n\nseveral(prenominal) days later, after all-encompassing reporting detailing and praising CIA cooperation, FBI planning and how the FBI finally got its man, several of Pakistans leading newspapers print editorials demanding that their government explain why Pakistani law was waived to allow the suspect to be whisked away from his to his homeland. See: Spiriting Off of Fugitive by U.S. Irks Pakistanis by John F. Burns, New York Times, June 23, 1997, p. A9. \n\n7 On J une 13, 1985, two Hizballah affiliated Shia gunmen hijacked TWA rush 847 en route from capital of Greece to Rome and off U.S. navy diver Robert Stethem after the plane left Algiers and touched checkmatewards in Beirut for the second gear time. The hijackers terminated negotiations with the Red evade and forced the pilot to fly to Beirut after a wire service report that the Delta Force had flown to the region and other erroneous media reports that the Delta Force was headed to Algeria. either but the three ring members were taken from the plane and held by Amal and Hizballah until released. ABCs coverage of the event force strong criticism from the U.S. Department of State. Pentagon spokesman Michael Burch on June 19, 1985, accused the American news media of providing information on U.S. military and diplomatic moves that might prove useful to the hijackers: For the price of a 25-cent newspaper or a 19 inch television, a group of hijackers who only represent the back of a p ew of some mosque have a very elaborate intelligence network. Media representatives countered with the response that coverage served to protect rather than endanger the lives of the hostages--that the hijackers would have no benefit from kill the goose (hostages) that lays the golden musket ball (ongoing publicity). \n\n8 U.S. Department of State, Patterns of Global Terrorism: 1996, April 1997, p. iii. \n\n9 fit to the New York based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) more than three hundred journalists have been murdered since 1986 as a consequence of their work and in 1995 alone 45 were killed. See website address http://www.CPJ.ORG/. See also the World wedge Freedom Review published by the International recommend Institute (IPI) in Vienna, Austria. trouble over a surge in killings of, and assaults against, journalists was also expressed at the opening of the Inter-American Press Associations annual meeting in Mexico City on October 20, 1997. See: Wests Leading Press r oot word Decries Attacks on Journalists by Eloy O. Aguilar, A.P. murder of October 20, 1997. \n\n10. Another issue for consideration beyond the scope of government and media policymaking is the degree to which a public interest group might be useful in advocating hostage rights and protection with the media, and in raising awareness of the issue of balancing the publics right to know against the rights of hostages and the public to have their gum elastic respected by the media. \n\n11. Notably, there have been attempts by media members to inspect rules when covering terrorist incidents. Standards established by the Chicago Sun-Times and Daily discussion include paraphrasing terrorist demands to avoid unbridled propaganda; banning participation of reporters in negotiations with terrorists; coordinating coverage through supervising editors who are in contact with police authorities; providing thoughtful, restrained, and credible coverage of stories; and allowing only senior superv isory editors to true(a)ize what, if any, information should be withheld or deferred. Such standards are furthest from uniformly accepted. See: Terrorism, the Future, and U.S. Foreign Policy, by Raphael F. Perl, CRS Issue abbreviated 95112, updated regularly. \n\n12. See: Clinton Suggests OAS Tackle Press Freedom Issue, by Lawrence McQuillan, Reuters acquit of October 17, 1997. \n\nBYLINER: TERRORISM, THE MEDIA, AND THE 21st CENTURY\n\n(The author is a specialist in international terrorism policy with the Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress) \n\nThe media remain compelling forces in confrontations between terrorists and governments. likeable to, and influencing, public opinion may impact not only the actions of governments but also on those of groups engaged in terrorist acts. \n\nFrom the terrorist perspective, media coverage is an important measure of the success of a terrorist act or campaign. And in hostage-type incidents, where the media may provide the only independent means a terrorist has of knowing the chain of events set in motion, coverage can complicate rescue efforts. \n\nGovernments can use the media in an effort to arouse world opinion against the country or group using terrorist tactics. Public diplomacy and the media can also be used to mobilize public opinion in other countries to pressure governments to take action against terrorism. \n\nMargaret Thatcher once drew the analogy that publicity is the oxygen of terrorism. This brings home the point that public relations is a major terrorist weapon and the media is a central vehicle for employing that weapon. Terrorism today assumes a role for the media. \n\nThis condition examines competing perspectives on the desired role for the media when covering terrorist incidents, and who wants what from the media: what the terrorist wants, what the government wants, and what the media wants when covering a terrorist event. It then addresses three trends that impact on the r elationship between terrorism and the media and concludes with options for consideration. \n\nWhat Terrorists deprivation from the Media -- \n\nTerrorists, governments, and the media see the function, roles and responsibilities of the media when covering terrorist events from differing and often seemingly competing perspectives. Such perceptions drive group behavior during terrorist incidents -- often resulting in both tactical and strategic gains to the terrorist operation and the overall terrorist cause. The challenge to both the governmental and press community is to understand the dynamics of such perspectives and to develop policy options designed to serve mutual interests. \n\n-- Terrorists want publicity, free publicity that a group could normally not afford or get. Any and all publicity alerts the world that a problem exists that cannot be ignored and must be addressed. An unedited interview is a treasured prize, such as the May 1997 CNN interview with Mohammad hive away L adin. approach shot to a terrorist is a hot story. \n\n-- They want favorable understanding of their cause, if not their act. One may not agree with their act but this does not preclude being sympathetic to their scathe and their cause. The public needs help in understanding that their cause is just and terrorist violence is the only course of action available to them against superior evil forces. veracious relationships with the press are important here and they are often cultivated and nurtured over a period of years. \n\n-- Terrorists may also seek to place personnel in press positions -- particularly in wire services -- and in some instances may even seek to control smaller news organizations through funding. One example is Mr. Bin Ladin, who is reported to have funded a hard line Islamic news service in the Gulf. \n\n-- They want legitimacy. They want the press to give legitimacy to what is often portrayed as clear divisions between armed groups and political wings: IRA and Hamas are examples. Musa Abu Marzuq, for example, who was in charge of the political wing of Hamas is believed to have approved specific bombings and assassinations. Such distinctions are often designed to help people join the ranks of the terrorist organization. \n\n-- They also want the press to give legitimacy to the findings and viewpoints of specially created non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and study centers that may serve as covers for terrorist fundraising, recruitment and travel by terrorists into the target country. The Palestinian Islamic Jihads funding and control of World and Islam Studies Enterprise is but one known example. The Hamas-funded Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP) in Richardson, Texas, is another of many. \n\n-- They want -- in hostage situations -- details on identity, number and value of hostages, details about pending rescue attempts, and details on the public exposure of their operation. Particularly where state sponsors are involved, they wan t details about any plans for military retaliation. \n\n-- And they want the media to help them cause damage to the enemy. This is particularly so when the perpetrators of the act and the rationale for their act remain anonymous. They want the media to amplify panic, to spread fear, to facilitate frugal loss like loss of tourism, to make populations loose faith in their governments ability to protect them, and to make governments and populations overact to specific incidents and the overall threat of terrorism. \n\nWhat Government Wants from the Media -- \n\nGovernments seek understanding, cooperation, restraint and loyalty from the media in efforts to limit terrorist harm to society and in efforts to punish or apprehend those responsible for terrorist acts, specifically: \n\n-- They want publicity to advance their agenda and not that of the terrorist. From their perspective, the media should support government courses of action when operations are under way and disseminate governm ent provided information when requested. \n\n-- An important goal is to separate the terrorist from the media -- to deny the terrorist a propaganda platform unless to do so is likely to contribute to his imminent defeat. \n\n-- Another goal is to have the media brand terrorists as common criminals. \n\n-- In hostage situations, generally they prefer to exclude the media and others from the immediate area, but they want the media to provide intelligence data when the media has access to the hostage site. \n\n-- They want publicity to help diffuse the tenseness of a situation, not to contribute to it. Keeping the nation calm is an important policy objective. \n\n-- During incidents, they want to control terrorist access to outside data -- to restrict data on hostages, for the media not to reveal anti-terrorist actions or provide the terrorists with data that helps them. \n\n-- After incidents, they want the media to keep close tabs on government trade secrets as to how operations wer e successfully performed -- and to keep close tabs on successful or thwarted terrorist trade secrets so that copycat terrorists can not emulate them. \n\n-- They want the media to be careful about being deceived by disinformation. Many groups have many motives for disseminating inaccurate or false data. \n\n-- They also want the media to make government agencies work out good. Agencies may carefully control leaks to the press giving scoops to newsmen who then in return make the agency look good and avoid criticism of its actions. \n\n-- They would like journalists to inform them when presented with well grounded reasons to believe a terrorist act may be in the making or that particular individuals may be involved in terrorist activity. \n\n-- And in extreme cases where circumstances permit, where vital national security interests may be at stake, and chances of success high, they would like cooperation of the media in disseminating a ruse that would contribute to neutralizing the i mmediate threat represent by the terrorists. \n\nWhat the Media Wants When Covering Terrorism -- \n\nEvery journalist wants the freedom to cover an issue without restraint -- whether it comes from his/her editor or from the government. \n\n-- The media wants to be the first with the story. Now. The scoop is the golden fleece. Old news is no news. Pressure to transmit real time news directly in todays intensely competitive hi-tech communication environment is at an all-time high. \n\n-- They want to make the story as timely and dramatic as possible -- an interview, if possible. During the June 1985 TWA Flight 847 hijack crisis, ABC aired extensive interviews with both hijackers and hostages. A photo was even staged of a pistol aimed at the pilots head. \n\n-- For the most part, they want to be professional and accurate and not to give credence to disinformation, however lovable it may seem. \n\n-- They want to protect their ability to operate as securely and freely as possible in the society. In many instances, this concern goes beyond protecting their legal right to publish relatively unrestrained. It translates into personal physical security. They want to protect themselves -- not to be killed during operations and not to be murdered by terrorists for providing unfavorable coverage. \n\n-- They do want to protect societys right to know. \n\n-- And they do want to play a constructive role in solving specific terrorist situations if this can be done without excessive cost in terms of story loss or compromise of values. \n\nTrends Impacting on Terrorism and the Media \n\nA number of trends appear to be emerging which impact on the relationship between the media, the terrorist and government. These include: (1) a trend towards anonymity in terrorism; (2) a trend towards more violent terrorist incidents; and (3) a trend towards attacks on media personnel and institutions. \n\nToday we see a trend towards anonymous terrorism where no one claims province and no demands are made. The World Trade Center bombing is but one example. This practice allows the media a larger role in speculation, and takes them off the twinge from charges that they are amplifying a terrorists demands or agenda. Even so, however, ongoing hyped reporting of terrorists events can advance terrorists agendas such as spreading fear, hurting tourism and provoking strong government reactions, leading at last to restrictions on individual liberties. \n\nIn todays hi-info/hi-tech world the potential for more violent terrorism is a reality which cannot be ignored. As terrorism becomes more violent, perceptions that the press is to some degree responsible for facilitating terrorism or amplifying its effects could well grow. Increasingly threatened societies may be prone to take fewer risks in light of mass casualty consequences and may less and less trust the media to police itself. \n\nAttacks on Media Personnel and Institutions -- \n\nWe may also see more of a trend of a ttacks on journalists who are outspoken on issues of concern to the terrorists. We do not need to look to Algeria, Mexico, Russia, Chechnia or London for such activity, but here in Washington, D.C. at the National Press mental synthesis and at the United Nations in New York. One private watchdog group places the number of journalists killed by terrorists in 1995 at 45. \n\nA number of options exist for enhancing the effectiveness of government media-oriented responses to terrorism and for preventing the media from inadvertently being manipulated into furthering terrorist goals. These include: (1) financing joint media/government training exercises; (2) establishing a government terrorism information response center; (3) promoting use of media pools; (4) promoting voluntary press coverage guidelines; and (5) monitoring terrorism against the media. \n\nJoint Government/Media Training Exercises -- \n\nPublic relations must be up of a story -- not reactive. Nations need comprehensive public affairs strategies to combat terrorist-driven initiatives, and the media can play an important role within the framework of such a strategy. Training exercises are vital here: exercises such as those conducted by George Washington University and the Technology Institute in Holon, Israel, which bring together government officials and media representatives to simulate government response and media coverage of mock terrorist incidents. \n\nA Government Terrorist Information reception Center -- \n\nOne option governments might consider would be establishment of a standing government terrorist information response center (TIRC). Such a center by agreement with the media could have on call (through communication links) a rapid reaction terrorism reporting pool composed of senior network, wire-service and print media representatives. Network coverage of incidents would then be coordinated by the network representative in the center. Such a center could be headed by a government spo kesperson (the Terrorism Information Coordinator, TIC) who could outright seek to seize the propaganda initiative from the particular terrorist group. \n\nAll too often, when incidents happen in the United States and there is a vacuum on news other than the incident itself, by the time the government agencies agree on and fine tune what can be said and what positions are to be taken, the government propaganda initiative is already lost. \n\nAnother option, specifically for coverage of hostage type events, would be use of a media pool where news is put out at the same time. If adopted, mechanisms for implementing such a conception should be in place. \n\n intended Press Coverage Guidelines -- \n\nAnother option would be establishment by the media of a loose code of voluntary behavior or guidelines that editors and reporters would have access to. A special media summit could be called, perhaps under the G-7 rubric, for senior network and print media executives to develop voluntary guidelines on terrorism reporting. \n\nAreas for discussion might include guidelines on: \n\n-- Limiting information on hostages which could harm them: e.g., number, nationality, official positions, how wealthy they may be or important relatives they have; \n\n-- Limiting information on military movements during rescue operations; \n\n-- Limiting or agreeing not to air live unedited interviews with terrorists; -- Checking sources of information carefully when the pressure is high to report information that may not be accurate; \n\n-- Toning down information that may cause widespread panic. \n\nEven if specific guidelines were not adopted, such a summit would raise understanding in the public policy and press policy community of the several(prenominal) needs of their respective institutions. \n\nTracking Terrorism Against the Media \n\nFinally, there may be emerging a worldwide trend of more terrorist attacks against media personnel and institutions. Surprisingly, however, readily a vailable government statistics are lacking. One way to bring this point home would be for government reports on terrorism, such as the U.S. Department of States Patterns of Global Terrorism, to include annual statistics worldwide showing the number of journalists killed or injured yearly in terrorist attacks and the annual number of terrorist incidents against media personnel or media institutions. \n\nThe media and the government both have common interests in seeing that the media is not inadvertently manipulated into promoting the cause of terrorism or its methods. But on the other hand, policymakers do not want to see terrorism eroding freedom of the press -- one of the pillars of democratic societies. \n\nBy rendering this is a dilemma that cannot be completely reconciled -- one with which society will continually have to struggle. Communication between the government and the media here is an important element in any strategy designed to prevent the cause of terrorism from prev ailing and in preserving democracy. \n\nThe reality is that terrorism and democracy do not make compatible bedfellows and in societies run by thugs or radical religious extremists, a free press is one of the first institutions to go. NNNNIf you want to get a full essay, order it on our website:

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