Exploring Terrorism and Media: Government Guidelines and Symbiosis

This essay examines the intricate relationship between terrorism and the media, highlighting how terrorists rely on media publicity to advance their goals and influence public opinion. It discusses Margaret Thatcher's efforts to starve terrorists of the 'oxygen of publicity' through measures like the Prevention of Terrorism Act and media censorship. The essay explores the symbiotic nature of the relationship, where media provides a platform for terrorists to communicate their propaganda, while authorities use media to understand terrorist motives and negotiate. It also addresses the impact of emerging technologies on terrorist communication strategies and the challenges governments face in controlling the flow of information. The essay concludes by considering whether current government practices align with Thatcher's original guidelines, given the evolving landscape of media and terrorism.

Running head: TERRORISM AND MEDIA
TERRORISM AND MEDIA
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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Cutting off the supply of ‘oxygen of publicity’...............................................................................3
Symbiotic relationship of the terrorists and the media....................................................................4
Does the government still follow the guidelines?............................................................................5
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................9
References......................................................................................................................................10

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Introduction
Terrorism has aspired for publication since its very inception, which sought the help of
the media for its growth. In the year 1985, Flight 847 was hijacked. The British Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher stated that they must find a way through which they would be able to starve
the terrorists of the publicity (Maogoto, 2016). The dependence of the terrorists on the publicity
for their growth is an essential factor that has helped in the evolution since its inception. The
growth of terrorism is being facilitated by the promotion of their activities. It has helped them in
utilizing the advanced technologies that has evolved to reach out their terror to the people. The
usage of media by the terrorists was specially boosted around the 19th century with the invention
of the printing press. The mass media platforms helped the terrorists in keeping the people aware
of their existence and their goals. The advancement in the technologies have helped the terrorists
with various advancements that helped them to connect with the world and thereby make the
world aware of their concerns and objectives.
The discussion will be focusing on the relationship of the media with the terrorists and
the manner in which government is following the guidelines to starve the terrorists from the
oxygen of publicity. The proper establishment of the measures is being observed and discussed
in this context for the better understanding of the different aspects of the change that is being
undertaken by the governments. The discussion will revolve round the facts as to how the
Thatcher government has taken steps to follow the guidelines in order to starve the terrorists of
the essential technologies (Phares, 2014). It has also helped in the understanding of the
relationship that is being shared by the terrorists and the media as well as the recognition of the
relation to be symbiotic in nature.

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Cutting off the supply of ‘oxygen of publicity’
Thatcher had undertaken steps for the proper assessment of the measures that are taken
for cutting off the publicity for the terrorists. It has helped in the understanding of the different
aspects of the change in the reporting and journalism activities. The usage of the Prevention of
Terrorism Act of 1976 has helped in negating interviews with the terrorists and the common
criminals of the nation (Sandler, 2014). According to Thatcher, the terrorists are simply criminals
whose political and sociological views are not significant for the public. They are not very much
engrossing and should not be broadcasted thereof. The government thereby took certain steps of
censorship that prevented the flow of information to the media stations. It prevented the media
from broadcasting about the terrorists. The lack of information of the events and the situations
has left the press inactive for the time.
The censorship that is being practiced by the media, afterwards has helped in preventing
the government intervention into the matters if the public. The major aspect of the change is
being undertaken by the media which is based on the self-censorship. It has helped in concealing
the information that is required to be broadcasted (Kettell, 2013). The government through their
activities and guidelines have made it clear as to the insignificance of the terrorists and the
manner in which they affect the healthy lifestyle of the people. The consideration of the terrorists
as simple criminals of the nation has helped in the understanding of the insignificance.
Therefore, preventing the usage of media devices would outcast the growing power of the
terrorists who crave for publicity. The government thus has taken steps to cut off the oxygen of
publicity in order to deactivate the forces (Byman, 2014). The emerging technologies like the
internet and the others like the mini-cam and the like has helped the terrorists in reaching over to

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the public. This has helped the terrorists in introducing themselves and their mottos to the
people. Therefore, the government has taken steps to cut off the terrorist’s access to the media.
Symbiotic relationship of the terrorists and the media
According to Gates and Podder (2015), the media platforms are impartial while making a
report. On the other hand, the proper utilization of the media has helped in the understanding of
the propaganda of the terrorists. The media plays as a platform for the terrorist to make the
people aware of their propaganda and their objective of terrorizing the people in order to fulfill
their interests. The major aspects that are being covered by the media is based on the
communication that they aim at establishing between the terrorist and the upper authorities of the
nation. The communication helps in undertaking a negotiation with the terrorists and thereby
brings in changes in the systems of the undertakings of the nation. Martin (2013) believed that
the proper understanding of the demands of the terrorists helps the authorities in strategizing
policies in order to treat them. An interview with the head of the terrorist group helps in the
proper understanding of the political and the social motives of the terrorists and thereby
formulates steps for dominating over their interests. The proper utilization of the media has
helped in enabling the communication that affects the understanding of the objectives and the
aims of the groups. Hoffman, Shelton and Cleven (2013) believed that the media has an
important role to play in order to connect to the terrorists. It has helped in the proper utilization
of the resources and the platforms for understanding the propaganda.
The emergence of various technologies has helped in the evolution of terrorism. The
different views of the activities that are being undertaken by the terrorists have changed with
time. The major aspects of the change are based on the functioning of the terrorists and the

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beliefs. The change in the beliefs and the meaningless of life have enabled the terrorists to be
bloodier than ever. On the other hand, the various aspects of the change that is being undertaken
by the media have helped in undertaking proper communication with these terrorists. The
nihilism has affected the objectives of the groups and made it more complex for understanding
the various aspects of the demands that they place (Bartlett & Miller, 2013). The basic functions
of the media are to make the people of the objectives and the functioning of the terrorists. It
helps in strategizing ways in order to control them. The media functions essentially like a
communication tool between the terrorists and the authorities of the nation, which helps in the
careful understanding of the objectives and the demand. On the other hand, it helps in the proper
negotiation that is being undertaken by the authorities with the terrorist groups. According to
Combs (2017), the media plays a major role in integrating the forces for the better understanding
of the situation of the nation and the aims and objectives of the terrorists and their activities.
The Media-Related Goals and Means of Terrorists
As the researchers argue to clarify the precarious symbiosis. They state that without the
coverage by media, the acts of the terrorists’ impact are debatably wasted, remaining barely
limited to their immediate target(s) of the attack. With the help of the media, that terrorist groups
rather reach the more target audience at whom their violence is essentially aimed. These fanatics
are chiefly interested in the audience and not victims. They basically emphasize upon how their
audience reacts against their acts. Accordingly, captivating the devotion of media, national as
well as foreign publics including the decision-makers in a country’s government is the main goal
of the terrorists (Bartlett & Miller, 2013). To this end, terrorist the groups carefully select such
places where they can carry out attacks and provide the best media coverage.

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The goals of the terrorists are not exclusively confined in winning the attention of
masses. In addition to this, through media coverage, these groups target to publicize many
political causes, inform about their motives of terrorist actions as well as explain their
justification for resorting to the path of violence. Through media these people aim to be
perceived like the regular, legitimate and accepted world leaders, because the media perceive
them to be similar. For the terrorist groups, the media acts like a tool for shrinking the power
asymmetry among their rival entities and them in an actual as well as ideological warfare. It
creates an ambience of fear as well as suspicion, legitimize terrorist acts thus reach bigger
audiences.
The means of communication of different terrorist groups greatly vary. Indeed, the
technological advancements as well as changing behavior of their target audience have enabled
them to utilize the media tools with better convenience. Specifically, in the last few years, the
mass media of communication have been changed in dramatically, mainly because of global
reach of Internet and mobile phones. This new, emerging media has prepared it easier for these
terrorists so that they can publicize the messages to this world via their websites at own choice
and these new technologies have solely allowed the dissemination of their messages for reaching
a wider audience with more concise message. This is the reason why the terrorists do not need
the printed media anymore for conveying their message.
Therefore, the ‘official’ media has been substituted by Internet because it is much quicker
to access, much easier to use hence more effective. As stated by Mythen, Walklate and Khan
(2013), the Internet has unquestionably replaced the important of printed media in serving the
interests of terrorism. Through the internet, the terrorists can convey whatever messages or
images they decide to reach the online world, they will get a global reach. However, whatever

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the path that terrorists choose to reach their target, the internet media publicity specifically is
used in their recruitment efforts. With other digital media, the Internet has clearly increased the
opportunity of terrorist activities as well as propaganda and has become an impeccable tool for
the terrorists for advancing operational goals with slight expense or risk.
Does the government still follow the guidelines?
The dependence of the government on the guidelines that were formulated by Thatcher is
based on the determination of the importance of the terrorists and thereby the determination of
the actions that might be undertaken in order to subdue their effects. The identification of the
terrorists as the common criminals has helped in the proper understanding of the different aspects
of the change that is being undertaken by the officials (Brisard & Martinez, 2014). The change in
the mentality and the outlook of the authorities and the proper treatment of the media devices has
helped in regulating the control over the media and the press. It has prevented the press from
reaching out to the terrorists. Iyer et al., (2014), believed that the proper understanding of the
mentality and the objectives of the terrorists could be understood through the proper utilization
of the media channels. However, Alvares and Dahlgren (2016), stated that the nihilism has
affected the understanding of the objectives of the terrorists and thereby has affected the
strategies that are taken by the governments for safeguarding the interests of their people.
Therefore, in certain cases, the communication with the terrorists does not seem to be fruitful.
The government has taken steps to censor the flow of the reports based on the guidelines that
were framed by Thatcher. It has helped in the understanding of the different measures that are
being undertaken by the government for subduing the activities of the terrorists (Kampf, 2014).
The major element of the guideline was based on the proper utilization of the media channels.
The censorship that was imposed on the media is still prevailing. On the other hand, the various

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technological advancements have helped the terrorists in creating websites for sharing their
propaganda and undertakes recruitments and funding for their groups. The government has taken
steps in order to monitor over such websites. The involvement and the evolution of the internet
have helped the terrorists in attaining the social media platforms, which has helped them in
retaining their exposure to the public (Korstanje, 2013). The publicity of the terrorists has helped
them in making the people aware of the objectives and the aims.
The governments have taken steps to neutralize the terrorists through the proper
functioning. The three key methods that are being used by the governments are being discussed
in this section of the analysis. The first of them is based on the war on terrorism through the
employment of the military forces in Afghanistan and Iraq. It is no simple employment of the
military forces as the proper understanding of the different aspects of the publicity is involved in
this context. The major aspect of the change that is being undertaken by the government is based
on the positive publicity of the soldiers through the portrayal of the terrorists as ‘insurgents’ or
‘gunmen’. It has affected the growth of the terrorists through the negative publicity of the
terrorists (Yusof et al., 2013). On the other hand, the government has taken steps in order to
neutralize the terrorists through the proper undertaking of the actions and the publicity. Publicity
is an important factor that affects the proper understanding of the steps that affects the
possibilities of the growth of the terrorists. On the other hand, the depiction of the dead soldiers
as the ‘fallen heroes’ and the ‘legends’ affects the emotions of the people and thereby identifies
the soldiers as the original heroes of the conflict. It has helped the government in neutralizing
any activity at its very growth stage. It has helped in nipping down the chief activities at the
origins (Mythen, Walklate & Khan, 2013).

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The second method that is being used by the governments is based on the war of
information where the western governments are taking steps to trade the information in order to
locate any possible terrorist activity in the regions (Archetti, 2015). It helps in the locating the
terrorists and thereby bring in changes in the systems of the organization. The growth of the
terrorist activities based on the evolution of the technologies has helped in the proper growth
process. the information of the systems that are being undertaken by the terrorists will be helping
the government to keep themselves alert of the undertakings of the terrorists (Weimann, 2014).
The terrorists have created a numerous website for maintaining their online presence. It has
helped the terrorists in raising funds and undertake new recruits for their systems. The use of the
internet has helped the terrorists in making the people aware of their objectives and thereby
makes them understand the importance of the jihad that they are undertaking, the struggle for
keeping their race alive. The government has taken similar steps in order to make the people
aware of the terrorists in order to influence the warfare.
The third and the most important step is based on the de-radicalization in which the
governments takes steps in order to de-radicalize the potential recruits undertaken by the terrorist
organizations in order to limit their numbers (Giroux, 2016). The recruitment of the potential
people in the terrorist groups has helped them in growing out of their limits. It has helped in the
proper functioning of the terrorist groups. Deaths are a common phenomenon in terrorist groups.
Therefore, in order to fulfill the vacancy new recruits are entertained through the online
presence. Interested candidates are considered for different posts in the terrorist groups. it has
affected the proper understanding of the hierarchy in the groups (Nacos, 2016). The steps that are
being undertaken by the government have helped in the proper adherence of the guidelines that
were previously framed. The intervention of the government in the functioning of the websites

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has helped in maintaining the balance of the recruitments that are being undertaken by the
terrorist groups. The proper understanding of the different aspects of the change that is being
undertaken by the government is based on the de-radicalization of the potential recruits that is
being undertaken by the groups (Bonner, 2016).
Therefore, the steps that are undertaken by the government have helped in the proper
understanding of the controlling measures. It has helped in controlling the activities that are
undertaken by the terrorists (Kellner, 2015). The steps have helped the governments in cutting
off the oxygen of publicity that helps the terrorists to grow and expand their activities. The steps
that are being undertaken by the governments are based on the guidelines that had been framed
earlier for the better understanding of the steps that are required for the smooth functioning
(Huey, 2015). The most important step that is being undertaken by the government of the nations
is based on the objective of reducing the radical effects of the terrorism. It will be affecting the
functioning of the groups resulting to their dissolution.
Conclusion
Therefore, from the above discussion it can be stated that the proper understanding of the
different activities that are undertaken by the government has helped in curbing out the publicity
that is required by the terrorists for the growth and expansion of their enterprise. The major
points that are being discussed as a part of this report is based on the importance of the media
which plays an intermediary role between the governments and the terrorists. The role of the
media and their channels cannot be negated as its helps in undertaking the smooth
communication. On the other hand, the changing concepts of terrorism has affected the smooth
functioning of the media channels. Therefore, with the advancement in the technology, the

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terrorists have started making an online presence for raising funds, making the people aware of
their objectives and o undertake recruitments. It will be helping the terrorists in the smooth
functioning of the enterprise. On the other hand, the government has taken certain steps to limit
their access in the internet. The steps that are being taken by the government is based on the
proper understanding of the different aspects of the publicity that is required by them in order to
make their growth and the activities. In order to regulate the activities of the terrorists, the
government has followed the guidelines, which were previously formed for the proper
understanding of the different aspects of the change.
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