Packaging Terrorism: Co-opting the News for Politics and Profit

Introduction: A Very Simple Idea.

Are You Ready.

Words and Trojan Horses.

Political Correctness: can I use the word “terrorist”?.

Why Do News Standards Matter.

What is Terrorism?.

2. How is Terrorism Covered?.

The Politics of Coverage.

Making Terrorism the “Big Story”.

Tragedy and Politics: What We Hear, Why We Hear It.

The Voices of the Powerful.

When Caring About Victims Sells News.

Parsing the Difference Between Terrorism and War.

Co-opting the News / Co-opting the Public.

The Stories That Are Told.

Why Some Media Do a Better Job.

3. What Are the Images of Terror?.

The Politics of Images.

When Did Pictures Start to Matter?.

“It’s No Time to Be Squeamish”: The “Jumpers” at the World Trade Center.

The Public’s “Picture of the Year”: The Flag-Raising at Ground Zero.

“Is American Blood More Precious Than Iraqi Blood?”: Ali Abbas and Pfc. Jessica Lynch.

Terrorists Want an Audience, Too: Daniel Pearl, Nicholas Berg and Beyond.

“Cleaning Up” the Pictures: Madrid and Fallujah.

Losing Control of the Image: Official photos, Snapshots and Cameraphones.

What Do We Need to See? What Do We Need to Do?.

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4. Conclusion: Packaging Terrorism.

The End.