The TV-Terrorism Relationship: Investigating the Symbiosis Notion

Abstract

There have been extensive debates on the so-called nexus between the media and terrorism. Scholars agree 1 that the medium of television has a greater role to play in propagating terrorism as far as the traditional media are concerned. Having said that, the nature, scope, and intensity of relationship between TV and terrorism needs further exploration. One key dimension is the connection between the place where the terrorist incident is happening and the base of the TV media covering the event. This article is a qualitative analysis of British TV channels when it comes to the coverage of terrorism. It focuses on the reporting of the 2005 London attacks and highlights the key features of coverage, while identifying the differences between the coverage of a terrorist attack happening on home soil and in a foreign country.