Scholars Argue Media Helps Promote Terrorists\' Agenda.

¶ … scholars argue media helps promote terrorists' agenda. Others,, disagree. What position media's role impact covering terrorist cases? Organize reply selecting case studies, employing assumption hypothesis, compose a pattern supports opinion.

One of the media's primary missions is to transmit news and to inform people. However, particular media devices have taken matters further by getting actively involved in shaping news that they wanted to broadcast. The media is generally considered to be a moral tool that is largely concerned about assisting people by providing them with up-to-date information concerning events happening all over the world. However, many terrorists have seized the opportunity to use the media as a device that can express their intention and that can even gather significant numbers of supporters.

The fact that the media is determined to provide the masses with news makes it possible for media operators to express little to no hesitance in regard to broadcasting news related to terrorism. The media is a particularly important propaganda tool because it considers that the world needs to be provided with news concerning terrorists. The rise of the media industry in the 20th century provided a whole new means of promoting ideologies. Conditions in countries where terrorists are in charge of the government are even more critical, considering that media devices in these areas provide the masses with fabricated news and attempt to influence them in expressing interest in joining terrorist campaigns.

The rise of the Internet in the recent years has provided an even more effective tool that terrorists can use with the purpose of promoting their ideals. Media operators come across an ethical dilemma as they try to provide the public with accurate news. If they refrain to issue news related to terrorists they feel that they do not act in accordance with the 'freedom of press' concept. Similarly, if they go through with issuing news concerning terrorists they feel that they help these unlawful individuals in their campaign by promoting them. "The dilemma for policymakers is between enhancing media/government cooperation to accommodate the citizen and media need for honest coverage and limiting the gains of free coverage for terrorists or their cause" (IOS Press 29). Even with the fact that it seems natural to promote media freedom, the authorities in many countries focus on filtering information generated by the media with the intention of refraining from supporting terrorists in their campaigns. While some people find it difficult to determine if it is worth to pay the price of limiting civil liberties in order to prevent terrorists from presenting the whole world with their ideologies (Griset & Mahan 130).

One of the principal purposes of terrorists is to gain attention and the most effective method of doing so is by getting coverage in the media. The media thus needs to focus on putting across accurate news without promoting terrorism. Terrorists often try to manipulate the media in promoting terrorist causes and it is essential for media operators to be well-acquainted with terrorist strategies in order to avoid falling victim to terrorist influences. The media world has a strong influence on public opinion and terrorists do everything in their power in order to persuade media operators in cooperating with them.

The case of Mohammed Merah is probably self-explanatory when considering terrorists who try to use the media for their own interests. The terrorist phoned FRANCE 24 with the purpose of explaining his motives for killing several individuals. He most probably hoped that this would provide him with significant coverage and that the whole world would express sympathy regarding his cause consequent to becoming familiar with his intentions.