Framing Terrorism: The News Media, The Government And The Public

Terrorism now dominates the headlines across the world-from New York to Kabul. "Framing Terrorism" argues that the headlines matter as much as the act, in political terms. Widely publicized terrorist incidents leave an imprint upon public opinion, muzzle the "watchdog" role of journalists and promote a general one-of-us consensus supporting security forces. Contributors to the volume begin by focusing on how governments, security forces and terrorist groups seek to manipulate the news, including the legal and normative issues of formal and informal government censorship and curbs on freedom of the press. They then focus upon how journalists construct the news and how the public responds to news coverage-including "rallying-round-the-flag," public attention and comprehension of terrorist events and the public's response to issues of civil liberties vs. security.