Terrorism and The Copycat Effect Essay Example

In this essay I will consider the implications of the suggestion of a copycat effect and how this is established through terrorist attacks.  Terrorism is defined as ‘an act of political violence seeking to coerce political elites, though the intimidation of public opinion into yielding ground on political grievances.’ (Dorney: 2012, 2) However, there is no simple definition of terrorism that all people will agree with, terrorism affects different countries in opposing ways. Through each category of terrorism the differences are explored  which allows us to categorise conflicting events through their fluctuating meanings , such as historical terrorism, domestic terrorism, and  fundamentalism & terrorism.

A debate on “The Round Table” discusses the implications naming and shaming a terrorist can have on future attacks. By ‘naming and shaming’ the terrorist it has been suggested there is a link between media coverage and future attacks- as it can lead to a copycat effect. This entails a perpetrator becoming inspired by existing attacks and aiming to carry out a similar attack which can be linked to the original preceding event.  Economics specialist Michael Jetter has suggested the relationship between the media and terrorism is dangerous, and can increase the number of attacks by up to 1.4 percent. The media should aim to “report less quantitatively, and then we'll also see fewer attacks," says Jetter. That is: fewer pictures, fewer editorials or lead articles, less emotive language and overall fewer articles. That's how we can reduce the number of attacks, the researcher says.” https://www.dw.com/en/terrorism-and-the-copycat-effect/a-40367196 (2.3.21)  However, it can prove notably difficult for journalists and people who work in the media to be unable to post any news related to the attack. If no relevant and factual information related to a current news event are posted online, then readers will not be able to access accurate information that allows them to become educated about the event.  However journalists may dramatise the situation online by producing rushed articles that provide inaccurate and non-factual information that lead to copycat effects to occur. By producing dramatic media articles, this may entice others to produce a similar terror attack- as they become attracted to the vast media attention of similar attacks reported on by journalists in large media outlets like the BBC. 

The relevance of terrorism can be dated back to the first century and is a relevant topic in today’s society- with majority of terrorism associated with vast arrays of socialist & nationalist organisations.  While the act has been around for longer, The term “terrorist” originated from the French Revolution in the 18th century. In Northern Ireland the word is well known and often associated with the 20th century “Troubles” Media censorship of several Irish republican groups came to light in 1988, due to their association with the known terrorist organisation of the Irish Republican Army. This was a reflection of gaining political advantage for the UK government. However, it is unlikely that censorship of the party led to any political achievement for the British government or benefited Northern Ireland as a whole- by decreasing terrorist attacks. In 1988 broadcasters were no longer allowed to show the voice of Sinn Fein speakers on TV & Radio throughout the UK. However, broadcasters quickly found a way around the ban by dubbing the voices of said banned speakers, thus replacing their voices.

However, did it work? Home Secretary Douglas Hurd stood by the belief that the censorship would lead to print & broadcast media being on a level footing. However, those who opposed the regulations strongly disagreed, as they believed the quality of news that was being reported from Northern Ireland had deteriorated in quality. The broadcaster Scarlett McGwire, one of those to challenge the regulations, said in 1989, "The case is not just about journalists and being able to report Northern Ireland properly. It is about people not being able to understand what is happening there because it is not reported properly" https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988%E2%80%931994_British_broadcasting_voice_restrictions (3.3.21) Furthermore, sensationalised reporting has become a prevalent issue in the media and broadcasting industry- an example of this is the fear driven towards the Muslim community due to  sensationalised reporting of terror attacks carried out by Islamic extremists. It has been suggested that only 12% of terrorist attacks are carried out by Muslims, although receiving up to 5 times and 357% more coverage. Thus, the contrast in news coverage of said attacks that are based on the religion of the perpetrator may explain the increased fear. This can be deemed as a form of islamophobia, causing fear to be built up for the audience watching as viewers begin to associate terrorism with the Muslim community,  in spite of the number of attacks being lower than the media would suggest. This is a common theme in the Round Table discussion shown.

Thus, the lack of fair and even media reporting towards Muslim’s as only 27% of far right white extremists will receive media and news attention in comparison to 78% of Muslim extremists. Thus, it is suggested that the biggest risk of terrorism in the UK is derived from far right violence.  In terms of journalism, journalists are typically not neutral in terms of radicalisation throughout the media. This is backed up from the social contagion theory. Censorship in the media is an ongoing topic in 2021. An example of this is The French Government outlawing the right wing extremist group ‘Generation Identity’ due to the groups strong & discriminatory beliefs and promotion of hate & violence. This supports the ideology that by not giving outdated and discriminatory beliefs a media platform this will diminish the known copycat effect. By definition, terrorist  violence typically  involves a wider political goal, “Some have argued that terror is often an attempt to win support within a broader community — a community perhaps marginalised by various forms of oppression. This is especially likely when several groups are vying for popular support.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2015/12/04/yes-mass-shootings-tend-to-produce-copycats-so-do-terror-attacks/ (4.3.21) 

Furthermore, it is suggested that journalists should highlight the terrorists failure to change society, to reduce a copycat effect. By noting how terrorists have changed society this enables others to follow a similar path, as it suggests they have been successful. “Terrorists want a lot of people watching not a lot of people dead,  Jenkins 1988,253” Media publications allows terrorism to thrive, however journalists will want to use terrorist based stories to produce a successful story.  Again, while some people hold the belief that media publications will worsen terrorist ideologies and only lead to further attacks, other people believe the media are being victimised by terrorists who only wish to gain publicity and media attention. There is no evident stance on the relationship between the media and terrorism, and whether it is casual or contributory.