Thread by @docrussjackson

#THREAD

Since 9/11, the number of UK/US newspaper articles about terrorism increased exponentially - despite attacks in Europe & North America being much more common during the 1970/80s & typically carried out by left/right-wing nationalists.

theconversation.com/9-11-how-polit…

Sheffield University's @JaredAhmad1 makes a powerful & persuasive argument:

'Aside from the drama and newsworthiness of the 9/11 attacks, a major reason why terrorism dominated headlines was because politicians and other “elite” figures began talking about terrorism. A lot.'

'Studies reveal how, in the days, weeks and months after 9/11, politicians and security sources (often anonymous and unnamed) dominated the news of the terror threat during this period and helped encourage an atmosphere of patriotic fervour.'

tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.108…

'Media reports often fail to include detailed explanations for why terrorists sought to adopt violent tactics.

Western media typically omit the political dimension of terrorist propaganda videos, but retain the more threatening, often exotic, aspects.'

journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.117…

'Perhaps the most damaging legacy of 9/11, however, has been the homogenisation and Islamisation of the terror threat. This has resulted in the conflation of Islam and Muslims with terrorism in much news coverage.'

theconversation.com/we-need-to-sto…

'In the UK, news audiences saw a dramatic increase in news about Islam & Muslims in the years after the 9/11 attacks. While not always negative, media reports indicate a thematic focus on terrorism, violent extremism & the cultural difference of Muslims.'

orca.cardiff.ac.uk/53005/1/08chan…

'In America, scholars have shown how terrorist attacks involving Muslim perpetrators tend to receive around 375% more attention than when the culprit is a non-Muslim.'

tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.108…

'Despite a fascination with Islamic terrorism, only 2.6% of attacks & 0.51% of deaths by terrorism occur in western nations. The vast majority of such attacks tend to be motivated by ethno-nationalist causes, rather than Islamist.'

visionofhumanity.org/wp-content/upl…

'The 9/11 attacks & the “war on terror”, ensured terrorism is a newsworthy topic. Groups with a vested interest in exaggerating terror threat levels (politicians & security services) are the main voices framing news, & for them, only one type of “terrorism” is deemed important.'

Recent (imho ignorant, divisive & reactionary) comments by Tony Blair about the 'existential threat' posed by what he refers to as “Islamism” to western nations 'shows that reductive rhetoric about “good” & “bad” Muslims still captures the attention of news media.'

News media should report terrorist events in ways that do not sensationalise or overstate terrorist violence.

We must challenge the simplistic way politicians tend to frame the issue, contextualise events as they happen, & combat the stereotypes that demarcate “us” from “them”.