Media and the Coverage of Terrorism: Manual for Trainers and Journalism Educators

"It is difficult to overstate the fraught complexity of the relationship between terrorism and the media. Perhaps no other issue has so challenged media professionals to maintain journalistic ethics and balance in their reporting."

This handbook offers model lessons and training exercises that are designed to enable journalists to better report on the complex topic of terrorism, as well as raise journalists' ability to protect themselves while covering terrorist attacks. It is intended for journalism educators and trainers, as well as for journalists interested in learning by themselves about the challenges of covering terrorism. The manual forms part of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Series on Journalism Education.

As explained in the training manual, "Many of the violent attacks we see playing out today are at least partly conceived with media coverage in mind, targeting not just the actual victims but millions of shocked and shaken spectators across the globe. Meanwhile, the tremendous pressures being exerted on media to attract audiences - in the face of ongoing waves of technological and financial transformations - can create a powerful temptation to focus on the violent and the sensational, and to be the first to report breaking information and rumours, even before accuracy can be assured. This manual seeks to help journalists and journalism students understand these challenges and address them with full awareness of the delicate balances to be struck."

In particular, the training outlined in the manual is designed to help journalists consider the extent to which coverage is playing into the interests of fear mongers, the extent to which coverage skews towards an existing narrative or prevalent idea of "who is a terrorist", and whether the words used, examples cited, and images displayed inform or stereotype. The foreword by Guy Berger, Director for Policies and Strategies on Communication and Information at UNESCO, notes that research suggests that attacks perpetrated by Muslims are covered significantly more than other terrorist attacks. In addition, "much attention has been paid to attacks in Western countries, despite 96% of the victims of terrorism in 2016 being in Africa, the Middle East or South Asia. These kinds of representations can fan emotions and division, and fuel backlash and counter-violence. The risks are real - hate attacks against wider groups perceived as being linked to a violent attack have been shown to jump dramatically in many cases - sometimes for years afterwards."

The training course is based on the publication "Terrorism and the Media: Handbook for Journalists" (see Related Summaries, below), which was commissioned by UNESCO in 2017. It sought to explore some of the ethical dilemmas present in terrorism coverage and to start a conversation with media professionals as to how to respond appropriately and proportionately.

The following are suggested ways to use the syllabi:

• As a teaching resource to supplement an existing course: Some institutions already have courses and/or modules on the subjects addressed in these syllabi. In that case, the syllabi could be used as a further resource. Many of the readings suggested may easily be recommended for existing courses.
• As a new standalone module to be introduced into any training programme: Any one of these syllabi could be used as an innovation to introduce or integrate into existing programmes new subject areas that could enrich the overall knowledge and skills set of either students or working journalists.
• As a training manual: Any journalism trainer, whether in a news organisation or from an external training organisation, may wish to adapt these syllabi for their own purposes, relying on the lists of recommended readings they present.
• As a reading resource for practising journalists: Practising journalists can find the readings, especially those that are readily available online, listed in these syllabi useful for their own intellectual enrichment and professional practice.

The curriculum is divided into the following modules, which include a list of objectives, a synopsis, recommendations, practice exercise(s), learning outcomes, and resource lists:

• Part 1: Terrorism and the media: general principles
  • Module 1: Defining the terms
  • Module 2: Terrorism and media ethics
• Part 2: Practical skills
  • Module 3: Preparation
  • Module 4: Covering an attack: ensuring your own and others' physical safety
  • Module 5: Covering an attack: defining an angle, collecting information from witnesses and official sources and using open-source data<?li>
  • Module 6: Covering an attack: selecting, prioritising information, and producing contents
  • Module 7: Covering an attack live: disseminating information
  • Module 8: Duty to be held accountable
• Part 3: Special issues
  • Module 9: Terrorism, facts and figures
  • Module 10: Hostage-taking/
  • Module 11: Getting to terrorist-controlled areas
  • Module 12: Covering ongoing investigations and trials
  • Module 13: Investigative journalism
  • Module 14: Radicalities and communities
  • Module 15: Terrorism, gender and the media