The Broadcasting Effects of Terrorist Attacks
Vernon T. Branson
HSM435: Psychology of Disaster Instructor: Sandra Rebeor

February 20, 2012

Over the years terrorism and homeland security represent a challenge to American journalism. Broadcast journalism bears and extra burden because it is on the front lines of all breaking news and plays a special real-time role in informing the public during a crisis. Since September 11th, new grim realities have confronted the media and redefined the responsibilities of the media as providers of information and holders of public interest. Reporting in an emergency is not merely a matter of getting the story right or beating the competition, it is a matter of saving lives, conveying vital information and contributing to an orderly response. Those who work in and with the media must understand and navigate in an uncertain landscape (Kamien, D. 2006) In today’s current society the new methods of technology can also affect the way the information is disseminated to the public. This technology intensifies immediacy and emotion as disturbing events can hit airwaves before official news media sites even get a hold of the information. Cell phones, PDA’s, camcorders all make the many citizens potential news reporters now. Eyewitness accounts and “man on the street” interviews can give voice to fears and cause more chaos before news officials are given a chance to assess the situation. The most important goal of any news agency is to ensure that the information being put out is timely, quickly, responsibly, and accurate. The terrorist threat that has occurred not only produces fear and anxiety in all involved but it also generates more questions which usually arise faster than they can be answered (Kamien, D. 2006) Today’s terrorism can spread fear globally and not be isolated to only the affected area as media can be viewed worldwide. The importance to getting it right the first time is imperative as reporting can drive the behavior. Reporting bad or sloppy information can cause people to do things that might not be necessary and cause more problems than good. The consequences can be staggering. People may evacuate when they should stay put. They may inundate hospitals in search of medication when there is no need. They may also rush towards or away from the site and interfere with first responders trying to do their jobs. Terrorist also benefit from the media as they take the type of attack they conduct into consideration into how much media attention it will gather. Attacks receive more coverage when they harm or kill victims, involve hijackings or aircraft, have known perpetrators, and select targets associated with Western countries. In their study of transnational terrorism, Weimann and Winn found that attacks that inflict injuries are twice as likely to attract media attention as those that do not; attacks in which the perpetrator can be identified are 4 times as likely to be reported in newspapers and 10 times as likely to be reported on television (Walsh, J. 2010). The attention that is gained from these attacks help the terrorist organizations gain a wider audience which in turns helps spread their goals and message to more people. In recent years it has been noted that three new trends in terrorism that has been used by terrorist groups. These are the methods that tend to get the most media attention when utilized by these organizations. The three newly established trends are more violent attacks, anonymous attacks, and attacks on media personnel and institutions. Some attribute the increase in more violent attacks in regards to new technology which makes obtaining knowledge easier which can be used to make attacks bigger and better. This can be seen in any one event more than the attacks on 9/11. The second trend dealing with anonymous attacks allows no responsibility for the action taken. The media can report on this act without incurring any slack of promoting a specific groups agenda. Furthermore, while anonymous terrorist acts do not necessarily advance the cause of a particular group, they may create chaos, instill fear and erode confidence in the government’s ability to respond (Silke, A. 2003) Lastly, the final trend touches on the terrorist use of attacking media personnel and their organizations. What better way to gain media attention than to attack them directly. The terrorist and the media both benefit from the attention and publicity that they receive from it. No one is more affected by both than that of the victims and first responders. In light of a terrorist attack the victims and first responders are normally the first to experience the effects of the attack. Victims are categorized into three groups: direct, indirect and secondary. Direct victims are those that are direct contact or in close proximity to the attack. First responders and rescue teams would fall into the secondary category. Indirect victims are those not in direct contacts and are see an attack on TV or hear about it through media outlets. Terrorism affects all of the people in these categories differently. The victims of terrorist attack usually have the most to deal with. These are those that are in direct contact with the attack so they have to deal with the initial carnage of the event. Victims might have to deal with injuries that could range from minor to life threatening. These injuries can possibly take a lifetime to deal with. Many psychological disorders have been found to be present in victims of traumatic events similar to terrorist events. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is the most common psychological disorder that occurs in victims. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a type of anxiety disorder. It can occur after you've seen or experienced a traumatic event that involved the threat of injury or death (www.ncbi.gov) The media can have major effects on direct victims. Journalist can become excited and aggressive to interview victims, this is not the best time for this to take place and journalist can begin to exploit these victims. Media coverage may constitute a source of secondary expo- sure for direct victims capable of retraumatising them through images which rekindle arousal linked to the attack (Silke, A. 2006) The media effects on recovery teams and first responders are very similar to that of the direct victims of and attack. Even though they are not in the direct line of fire, they respond minutes after an attack and deal with a lot of the same issues as the victims. The one major difference is that they must help the victims to preserve life and limb. The media can affect them severely if information is not put out correctly. They can cause riots if they portray the wrong type of message to the public if they show rescue teams not saving people. They can also cause many people to flock to the scene and try to help when all they would do is get in rescue teams and first responders way. This can cause the public to lose faith in rescue teams and recovery efforts as a whole. In the events of 9/11 a false report was generated by the media which stated a group of rescue workers were trapped in the debris. This caused recovery teams to be spun up and go in to find them, when it turned out that this was a rumor and lead to recovery team members being injured. This is why ensuring that the media makes sure the information they put out is relevant and correct. For the public and those who are not direct or secondary victims of a terrorist attack, the media is their number one source in finding out what took place. Terrorist know that these individuals will flock to these methods to see the carnage they have caused. These are the terrorist main targets in an attack. I know that sounds weird but through the media the terrorist can have the whole world view what they are capable of achieving, in other words they turn the media into a “vector of fear” (Silke, A. 2006). Many studies are conducted on the effects on victims, first responders, and rescue teams. We must not forget about the children whom may have been affected by an attack. According to parental reports, children watched television for a mean of 3.0 hours per day, with older children watching more than younger children. Parents of the children whom watched the effects of 9/11 on television have reported that their kids have experienced at least one of the five major stress disorders related to traumatic events. The children even though have proven to be resilient, they deal with the disorders such as acute stress disorder, and PTSD just like adults does. The hardest thing for any child to have to deal with due to terrorism is the loss of a parent or love ones. This will scar a child for life and leave them with something that will never get the attack out of their mind. This will cause a child to have a negative opinion of the culture that conducted the attack and take years to show them that all within that culture have the same intentions. Characteristic responses to stress in children and young people include anxiety, behavioral changes and sleep disturbances such as nightmares and night-terrors, and most of these have frequently been reported by those researching children who have been exposed to terrorist activities (Silke, A 2006). Other studies have shown that youngsters may engage in suppressing conscious thoughts about the event as a device to avoid feelings of embarrassment and anxiety. Prominent personality alterations have been reported, including the emergence of "survivor identity" and delinquency. A common finding is an enduring sense of pessimism with a belief in a shortened life expectancy and recurrent dreams of personal death (Eth, S. 1983). These are just some of the initial findings as many studies are being conducted on the children around the globe who have experienced terrorism in their short lives. The question has been raised many times in regards of if media should be limited when it comes to reporting on terrorism and terrorist activities. I think that they should not be limited in what they report on in the event of a terrorist attack. I think that honor the freedom of information act and freedom of speech is more important than limiting the media in regards to terrorism. If we start with limiting the media on things such as terrorism it will lead to more limiting whenever someone feels that what they are reporting is offensive or graphic. I think the good clearly outweighs the bad in this situation. The one thing that I think must change in the future is establishing rules in ensuring that the information that is being disseminated is clear and accurate. In too many incidents reporters become overzealous and rush to put out information that is not correct. They must always remember that the information they release could save someone’s life and the more accurate the better. The media plays an important role in supplying indirect victims with safety information such as escape routes, medical facilities, and shelter. I think this should be there main focus during any traumatic event until more information can be gathered and disseminated properly. In conclusion, media coverage of major terrorist events tends to be intense, capturing acute suffering and personal vulnerability. Unlike fictional stories, it portrays actual events and is sometimes unedited. And it produces the images of death and destruction, chaos and helplessness that instill fear and intimidation in the larger public. Media attention can also evoke the intense patriotism and rage essential in support of government forces needed to combat the enemy terrorists (Silke, A. 2006) We must continue to understand and conduct research on the effects it has on the public to answer the question on just how much is too much.

References
Eth, S. 1983. Long Term Effects of Terrorism on Children. Retreived on 20 Feb 2012 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1025822/pdf/westjmed00143-0107b.pdf
Kamien, D. 2006. The McGraw-Hill Homeland Security Handbook.
Silke, A. (2003). Terrorist, Victims and Society: Psychological Perspectives on Terrorism and its Consequences. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Walsh, J. 2010. Media Attention to Terrorist Attacks: Causes and Consequences. Retrieved on 19 Feb 2012 from http://www.politicalscience.uncc.edu/jwalsh/ihss.pdf