3.2. Terrorism

Goals of learning from this lesson:

• What is terrorism?
• How do you differentiate between "old" and "new" forms of terrorism?
• Why is the relation between mainstream media and terrorists sometimes regarded as symbiotic?
• What is radicalization and how can terrorist groups create their own media systems to achieve this?

The lecture

Browse through the latest lecture presentation in BA-Course at Lillehammer College.





The literature:

Seib, P. M., & Janbek, D. M. (2011). Communicating Terror. 21p. *
Hoskins, A., & O’Loughlin, B. (2010). War and media. Chap. 8. 16p.
Oates, S. (2008). Introduction to media and politics. Chap. 7. 18p.

Watch relevant videos

Aspen Ideas Festival: The Media's Role in Covering Terrorism

Glenn Greenwald: Norway Attacks Expose U.S. Media's Double Standard On "Terrorism"

Terror and social media

More from the YouTube playlist


Useful links

• Boggs, C., & Pollard, T. (2006). Hollywood and the Spectacle of Terrorism. New Political Science, 28(3), 335–351.
• Busch, T. (2013, May 14). How Twitter Is Messing With Al-Qaeda’s Careful PR Machine. The Atlantic.
• Carter, S., & Dodds, K. (2011). Hollywood and the “war on terror”: genre-geopolitics and “Jacksonianism” in The Kingdom. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 29(1), 98 – 113.
• Falkenrath, R. A. (2012, December 14). The Holes in “Homeland.” Foreign Affairs.
• Kamin, D. (2013, April). “Homeland” in the Holy Land. Foreign Policy.
• Keating, J. E. (2012, November 23). Homeland Insecurity. Foreign Policy.
• Terrorism and the Press.
• Motlagh, J. (2009, May 3). Why the Taliban Is Winning the Propaganda War. Time.
• Nieuwenhuis, M. (2013, February 7). The enemy within: the new antagonists in Hollywood. openDemocracy.
• Seib, P. M., & Janbek, D. M. (2011). Global Terrorism and New Media: The Post-Al Qaeda Generation. Taylor & Francis.
• Terrorism Movies at the Box Office - Box Office Mojo.
• Hoffman, B. (2012, December 18). Spoiler Alert. Foreign Policy.
• Jensen, C. (2010, June 12). Velkommen til Armadillo. Ekkofilm.
• Jyllandsposten. (2010, May 16). “Armadillo”: Den vigtigste danske dokumentar. Jyllandsposten.
• Marthinsen, T. J. R. (2010, August 18). Velkommen til «Armadillo».

Info on Al-Shabaab.

• Stanford University. (2013, September 29). Al-Shabab. Mapping Militant Organizations.
• Masters, J. (2013, July 9). Al-Shabaab. Council on Foreign Relations.
• Bruton, B., & Pham, J. P. (2012, February 2). The Splintering of Al Shabaab. Foreign Affairs.
• Anzalone, C. (2011). Who are Somalia’s “al-Shabab?” openDemocracy.
• Anzalone, C. (2011, November 16). The rapid evolution of Al-Shabab’s media and insurgent “journalism.” openDemocracy.
• Wise, R. (2011). Al-Shabaab. Center for Strategic and International Studies.