This activity will address module outcomes 1 and 2. Upon completion of this activity, you will be able to:
M4-01: Differentiate between the media reporting accurate news and propaganda. (CO4)
M4-02: Analyze the role media plays in balancing the public’s right to information, interference of government mitigation strategies, and escalation of terrorist activity. (CO3)
Drawing on and using this course’s readings, viewings, terrorism research, and media sites available to you (as listed on Module 1 and 4’s L&A page), you will conduct an investigation into the causes and consequences of media reporting on terrorism. For example, there are arguments that hold media coverage to be an accelerator of terrorist recruitment and violent activity, while others view accuracy in media coverage of slights and injuries to aggrieved nationalist/group sensitivities as reducing the call for terror tactics responses by disempowered, or “victimized” groups. In this assignment you are to Select 3 news resources’ coverage of terrorist incidents to evaluate, with at least one that is wholly unfamiliar to you.
Address the following questions in your paper:
Briefly, what role, if any, did media coverage of the terror group or incident play in the incident itself in each of your three cases – that is did the violent act originate in any way due to the media’s role in or coverage of the incident? If so, how?
Among your three cases, compare the reporting of terrorism violence by the referenced media services. What patterns or themes did you notice?
To what extent, if any, are the media services biased, or objective in their reporting on terrorism? How might this affect counterterrorism efforts in your view?
If applicable, in what ways do you find right-wing terrorism covered compared with left-wing terrorism?
The paper must meet the following formatting guidelines:
Length: At least 5 pages in length (at least 1250 words) double-spaced. The cover/title page, references, and appendices are not included in the length requirement.
Margins: One-inch margins (Top, Bottom, Left, and Right)
Font: Arial 11-point or 12-point Times New Roman
Style: Paper headings, organization, citation, and references must adhere to The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) style.
References: Must be formatted to according to APA.
