29.05.2021Mass Communication & Society: Terrorist Organizations in the News

Media play a vital role in shaping public perceptions of political violence, including terrorism. By covering extremists, media grant terrorists access to a global audience and legitimize their standing as illegitimate, yet as influential actors in international conflicts. A new study by Lea Hellmüller, IKMZ scholar Valerie Hase, and Peggy Lindner uses computational methods, specifically an automated content analysis of media coverage to analyze media attention toward terrorist organizations. By highlighting the role of news values and the capitalization of such by terrorist organizations, the study critically reflects on journalism’s role in covering extremists.

Hellmüller, L., Hase, V., & Lindner, P. (2021). Terrorist Organizations In The News:
A Computational Approach To Measure Media Attention Towards Terrorism. Mass Communication & Society. Online first publication. doi:10.1080/15205436.2021.1936068 (Link)