TV and Terror: How the Medium Plays Into Terrorist Strategy

MIN READNov 8, 2017 | 10:12 GMT

By devoting so much airtime to terrorist attacks, broadcasters give their perpetrators exactly what they want.

(PhotoTalk/iStock, JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)

The terrorist attack in New York last week hit close to home. My 11-year-old grandson sometimes rides the bike I gave him on that very bike path. You can see why I became glued to the TV. Following the initial wave of feeling -- of relief upon hearing my grandson was safe, of anguish for the victims and their families -- my binge on the TV coverage got me thinking. This is just what they want me to be doing: Dwelling on the damage a single terrorist can do -- becoming terrorized. And TV is the perfect means to that end....