Terrorism and the Media: From the Iran Hostage Crisis to the Oklahoma City Bombing / Edition 1

by Brigitte L. Nacos

Overview

The televised images from the September 11 attacks exemplified how terrorists exploit the news media to get attention, spread fear and anxiety, and expose the weaknesses of the American superpower. September 11 was the culmination of decades of anti-American terrorism that, until the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, had not been felt on American soil. This book examines the response of the U.S. media, public, and decision makers to major acts of anti-American terrorism during the period from 1979-1994. Focusing on events abroad, such as the Iranian hostage crisis and the downing of Pan Am Flight 103, Nacos describes how terrorists successfully manipulate the linkages between the news media, public opinion, and presidential decision making through the staging of violent spectaculars.

A preface examines the dilemmas faced by the government and media in response to domestic terrorism perpetrated by Americans against Americans in 1995. Nacos argues that government acquiescence to mass-media pressure in the wake of the Oklahoma City Bombing, as well as the media's agonizing decision to publish the Unabomber's 35,000-word manifesto, represented a victory for terrorism that could only encourage more terrorism.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780231100151
Publisher:	Columbia University Press
Publication date:	05/10/1996
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	214
Product dimensions:	8.88(w) x 7.96(h) x 0.48(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Brigitte L. Nacos, a longtime correspondent for newspapers in Germany, teaches American government and politics at Columbia University. Nacos is the author of The Press, Presidents, and Crises.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: The Calculus of Violence
2. Terrorism, the Media, and Foreign Policy
3. Terrorists and Their Goals
4. The Polls and the Theater of Terror
5. Terrorist Spectaculars and Presidential Rallies
6. Decision Makers and Their Hard Choices
7. Conclusion: Must Terrorists Succeed?

What People are Saying About This

Martha Crenshaw

This book is a welcome and valuable addition to the literature on terrorism.It fills a gap by providing a uniquely detailed and comprehensive examination of the relationship between terrorism, the media, public opinion, and government decisionmaking in the American context.

— Martha Crenshaw, Wesleyan University

Editorial Reviews

Her book is a proverbial breath of fresh air blown into the stuffy catacombs where U.S. policy on this subject is made.

The Friday Review of Defense Literature

Brigitte L. Nacos has written a definitive study and provides an exhaustive statistical base to support her analysis.

Political Science Quarterly

Her book is a proverbial breath of fresh air blown into the stuffy catacombs where U.S. policy on this subject is made.

Friday Review of Defense Literature

This book is a welcome and valuable addition to the literature on terrorism.It fills a gap by providing a uniquely detailed and comprehensive examination of the relationship between terrorism, the media, public opinion, and government decisionmaking in the American context.

Martha Crenshaw