Terrorism and the media: An empirical analysis

Abstract

The conventional wisdom is that media attention causes terrorism, yet empirical investigation of this widely held belief has been sparse. This research uses a terrorism micro data set with media variables to explore the link between terrorism and media attention. Using coverage of terrorist incidents in the New York Times as a proxy for media attention, we determine which specific characteristics of terrorist events attract notice by the media and measure the effects that these characteristics have on media coverage. We also investigate whether media coverage empirically causes terrorism. Results indicate that media attention does not Granger cause terrorism.

Blood and ink! The common-interest-game between terrorists and the media

“…The bilateral causality is also supported using data from the NZZ media coverage of terrorism. 10 Our findings for data from 1998-2005 contrast with the results of Nelson and Scott (1992)'s study, which used data on terrorism and media coverage from 1968 to 1984. They focus as well on coverage by the NYT as proxy for media coverage.…”

“…An interesting article by Nelson and Scott (1992) assesses empirically whether media coverage causes terrorism for the time period [1968][1969][1970][1971][1972][1973][1974][1975][1976][1977][1978][1979][1980][1981][1982][1983][1984], and arrives at the conclusion that this is not the case. In the empirical part of our contribution, we will test, using more recent data, whether this conclusion still holds in today's more globalised and media-covered world.…”

TV News coverage of Terrorism phenomenon from the Arab and Western perspectives from 2011 to 2016

“…This contradicts Nelson and Scott (1992), who found that media reporting of terrorist incidents did not increase further attacks.…”

The Media’s Coverage of Domestic Terrorism

“…She states: "There is no doubt that their deeds are planned and executed with the mass media and their effects on the masses and governmental decision makers in mind" (Nacos, 2003b, p. 29). Most scholars highlight this symbiotic relationship between the media and terrorists, assuming that terrorists attempt to capitalize on the power of the media, and media need dramatic and sensational events to increase ratings (Clutterbuck, 1982;Devine & Rafalko, 1982;Laqueur, 1977;Martin, 1985;Nacos, 2002Nacos, , 2003aNacos, , 2003bNelson & Scott, 1992;Picard, 1993;Schmid & de Graaf, 1982;Van Atta, 1998), but some scholars believe that the relationship between terrorists and the media is overstated due to the lack of systematic evidence of motivations for terrorism (see Dowling, 1989;Wieviorka, 1993).…”