Media and Terrorism
Global Perspectives
- Des Freedman - Goldsmiths, University of London, UK
- Daya Kishan Thussu - Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong
- Paul Matthews, University College Birmingham
"An excellent text that covers not only how the media cover acts of terrorism but also how terror groups can manipulate the media."
- David Lowe, Liverpool John Moores University
Have the media contributed to exacerbating the political, cultural and religious divides within Western societies and the world at large? How can media be deployed to enrich, not inhibit, dialogue? To what extent has the media, in all its forms, questioned, celebrated or simply accepted the unleashing of a 'war on terror'?
Media and Terrorism: Global Perspectives brings together leading scholars to explore how the world's media have influenced, and in turn, been influenced by terrorism and the war on terror in the aftermath of 9/11. Accessible and user-friendly with lively and current case studies, it is an essential handbook on the dynamics of war and the media in a global context.
Those familiar with the topic will immediately recognise the names of well-respected scholars from the Anglo-American paradigm, including David Miller, Greg Philo and Philip Seib, among the contributors. However, the book goes further in offering a truly global perspective, with contributions by academics, researchers and journalists from geographical backgrounds ranging from the Scandinavian countries to the Middle East and Russia, and with research interests as wide-ranging as the games, film and media industries and peace journalism and cultural studies.
Drawing on these diverse perspectives, the book comes well equipped with the tools needed to unravel the media-terrorism-politics triangle. To mention just the most compelling, those include semiotics (Lena Jayyusi), political theory (Christian Fuchs), inter-sector approaches (Toby Miller, Oliver Boyd-Barrett, David Herrera and Jim Baumann), controversial comparative analysis (Justin Lewis), and the first-hand experiences recounted by journalists Dahr Jamail and Danny Schechter
THE Textbook Guide
Acts of political violence, including terroristic violence, come in different forms, in different parts of the world and perpetrated by different sorts of actors (states, military, insurgents, individuals) who can be motivated by different interests and identities. In today's media environment, the relation between terrorism and media is often no less complex or politically consequential. Historically momentous and deadly as the so-called 'global war on terror' has proved to be, it does not exhaust the complexities of media and terror or their interactions around the world. Media and Terrorism: Global Perspectives intelligently and incisively broadens the discussion, situating it within contexts of global inequality and geopolitical interests, contemporary media environments and strategic and symbolic politics
Simon Cottle
Professor of Media and Communications, Cardiff University
[The book] pulls together so many facts and arguments that it will help anyone grappling with the last eleven years of mayhem, laughingly referred to as the 'war on terror'. Above all it is a long-overdue unscrambling of the deliberate confusions behind the modern use of the word 'terrorism'.
Chris Nineham
Counterfire
A new publication that seeks to not only join but also move forward the established literature on media and terrorism needs to be out of the ordinary. Freeman and Thussu's book 'Media & Terrorism: Global perspectives' appears to be that kind of publication. Marked by smart editorial decision making, this book maps the dynamics of media and terrorism in the era defined by the US as a 'war on terror' with new and interesting academic content, producing an overall package that contrasts positively with the approach and features of many of its forerunners... In sum, this is a unique and interesting book that brings together significant contributions in one place... [and] this book is a must read for students and scholars who wish to understand the relationship between media and terrorism in global context.
Julian Matthews
Internet Journal of Criminology
The fact that the term 'terror' lends itself to such elastic uses makes writing about it rather challenging, especially when the discussion is focused on this very elasticity and elusiveness.. This book engages directly with this challenge, seeking to explore the uses and abuses of this elusive concept [...] This book is a feast of penetrating insights and provocative ideas: densely informative and a pleasure to read, covering as it does the subject from multiple angles and in great depth.
This text is highly relevant to the post 9/11 era of terrorism and the role of the media in shaping attitudes and focusing agendas. It has less of a bearing on conflicts which preceded the explosive growth of social media and digital communications.
I'm using this book in the international journalism course for MA students. It is highly relevant as it offers a global dimension to the study of media and terrorism.
Ahmed Al-Rawi, Erasmus University Rotterdam
I am using selections from this book in my course packet of supplemental readings. It is very applicable to my course in Global Media Advocacy, as well as to a prep course I teach for students doing field work in Hong Kong.
The book gives a good introductory overview of the different means of communication within irregular warfare. It is neatly broken down into a logical series of topics that are represented in the different parts of the publication. This book shall be used on the new course that shall start in 2013, Mass Media and War: Information, Perception and Influence in 21st Century Conflict.
This is an excellent source which puts students in the heart of the contemporary discussion and encourages them to form opinions. It is a great resource for seminars as well as gateways to research.
Adopted another title
An interesting book well written but not what I was looking for.
Media and Terrorism, co-edited by Des Freedman and Daya Kisha Thussi, is incisive and an added voice regarding the way terrorism is framed in the media.
The book is particularly interesting in the way it looks beyond what the media would have people to believe, especially about people of Islamic faith.
It will be an interesting book for students of media and society who would like have a deeper and varied views about terrorism.
