A Comprehensive Review of the Modern Terrorism Strategy and Its Relationship with Media Organisations

A suicide bomber attacks a popular cafe in the center of Jerusalem. Eleven people are killed and over 50 are wounded. The cafe is almost completely destroyed and located near the Prime Minister’s residence. Local media features heavy coverage of the incident including news reports, interviews, and extensive commentary and profiles of the victims and wounded. A local television station broadcasts a particularly powerful interview with one of the cafe’s waters just minutes after the explosion. The water is still in shock as the camera rolls. She behaves in the way that a shocked civilian would likely behave after being a part of a terror attack: screaming, shouting horrors, and saying phrases that would elicit shock and fear into the hearts of the viewers. Follow-up coverage continues weeks after the attack, keeping the story and the panic at the forefront of national consciousness. Some press critics argue that in interviewing a clearly distressed and shocked waiter the television station crossed the boundaries of appropriate and tasteful news coverage. Critics argue that this method of coverage plays into the aims of the terrorist organization by perpetuating the fear throughout the nation instead of reporting through an objective, un-sensationalized approach. As a member of the association of Israeli Journalists, this paper conducts an investigation into the coverage of terrorist attacks in Israel and provides recommendations as to how the media, both local and international, should cover terrorist incidents