The Efficacy of Censorship as a Response to Terrorism
This chapter discusses the use of law and intimidation and direct censorship in relation to the purported strategic needs of terrorism and counter-terrorism. It explains the role of the media and the strategic efficacy of censorship in insurgent terrorism, which includes subnational and transnational actors attempting to gain political power. The chapter further explains the role of the media and the strategic efficacy of censorship in state terrorism, where terrorism is deployed to sustain and strengthen political power. The role of the media and the strategic efficacy of censorship in counter-terrorism are also analyzed. The chapter talks about the strategic relationship between insurgent terrorism and counter-terrorism where the media and the efficacy of media censorship are a strategic response against terrorism as opposed to their being a tool of terrorism, which is sometimes the case in state terrorism.
The Self-Censorship Dilemma
This article studies the conditions for covering terrorists in the post-factual era. Specifically, the article focuses on what it means when the news media show images of terrorists or deprive them of media attention. Regardless of whether the news media apply self-censorship in coverage of terrorists, the implications of their decision can be linked to the post-factual: on the one hand, self-censorship might feed into narratives of the post-factual as information is withheld and reality possibly distorted. On the other hand, if the news media opt against self-censorship, coverage of terrorists often includes “post-factual” elements such as the dramatic and sensational aspects of the visual culture surrounding terror. Accordingly, the objective of this article is to explore dilemmas attached to media coverage and media self-censorship of terrorists. A theoretical framework is developed for understanding challenging aspects of news coverage of the “selfie-generation” of terrorists and media self-censorship. Empirically, the article takes its departure point in news coverage on Danish public service broadcasters DR and TV2 in 2016. The analysis focuses on the paradox that despite conflicting public statements for (DR) and against (TV2) self-censorship, a quantitative content analysis demonstrates similar coverage of terrorists by these two media organizations.
Arab Uprisings and the Outstanding Return to Democracy: Tunisia as a Model
In the wake of the Middle Eastern crises, the Tunisian case in focus has been doted as a unique phenomenon being that it was the Genesis of the revolution that ultimately spread across the Middle East like wild fire, but has eventually heralded a new dawn as democracy has incidentally returned to the Empire. This literature therefore looks closely at the extent to which the ‘DignityRevolution’ has been instrumental in the Middle East uprisings, which have brought an end to dynastic autocracies. The literature zeros in on the Tunisian uprising which has attracted global concerns, sympathy and has sparked interests in the international arena. The literature finds that the people hold colossal prospect in the uprising and its resultant effect, as it paved the way for the revolutionist to generate, gather and disseminate information on the condition of the entire region to the international community. The people in this context were of utmost importance and played a very crucial role in the creation of awareness, mobilization of protesters and utmost determining the direction of the uprising and also ensuring a speedy return to democratic rule. The paper submits that the role of the people in ensuring that the ruins of the uprising is not left littering around and democracy restored is highly commendable and should be a model for all other Arab countries involved in the revolution.