The Role of the Media in the Crusade Against Global Terrorism
CHAPTER ONE
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The following are the Objectives of this study:
- To enlighten the public and see how the media has influence the attacks of terrorist.
- To see if the media have a positive or negative influence on the people.
- To see if the media are publicizing the terrorist for their own interest, that is getting the attention of more viewers.
- To examine the cause and effect of global terrorism on the people, government and the economy.
- To see how the media has also assisted the government in fighting global terrorism.
CHAPTER TWO
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
- The Agenda Setting Theory
- The Gate Keeping Theory
- The Hypodermic Needle Theory
The Agenda Setting Theory
The agenda setting theory describes the ability (of the news media) to influence the salience of topics on the public agenda that is, if a news item is covered frequently and prominently the audience will regard the issue as more important.
The agenda setting theory was formally developed by Dr, Max Combs and Dr. Donald Shaw in a study on the 1968 presidential election. In the 1968 “church hill study, Mac Combs and Shaw demonstrated a strong correlation between what 100 residents of Chapel hill, North Carolina thought was the most important issues by comparing the salience of issues in the news content with the public’s perceptions of the most election issue, Mc Combs and Shaw were able to determine the degree to which the media determines public opinion. Since the 1968 study, published in 1972 edition of “public opinion quarterly” more than 400 studies have been published on the agenda setting functions of the mass media.
HISTORY
The theory of agenda setting can be traced to the first chapter of Walter Lippmann’s (1922) classic public opinion. In the chapter the world outside the picture in our heads, Lippmann argues that the mass media are principal connection between events in the world and the image in the minds of the public, without using the term Agenda setting, Walter Lippmann was writing about what we today would call “Agenda Setting” Following Lippmann in 1963 , Bernard Cohen observed that the press may not be successful much of the time in telling people what to think, but it is stunningly successful in telling its readers what to think about. The world will look different to different people.
Cohen continues, depending on the map that is drawn from them by the writers, editors and publishers of the paper they read.
As early as the 1960’s, Cohen had expressed the idea that led to formalizing of Agenda setting theory by Mac Combs and Shaw though Maxwell already had some interest in the field, he was exposed to Cohen’s work while serving as a faculty member at UCLA and it was Cohen’s work that heavily influenced him.
Agenda setting is the creation of public awareness and concern of salient issues by the news media. Two basic assumptions underlie most of the research on agenda setting.
- The press and the media do not reflect, they filter and shape it
- Media concentration on a few issues and subjects leads the public to receive those issues as more important than other issues.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This chapter is set at explaining research design and how they were validated before they are finally used to carry out the research study.
The research procedure and methods of data collection were also discussed. Questionnaire will be shared among respondents.
POPULATION OF STUDY
Population, according to Evboroulalai (2003:15), refers to the entire subject whom the researcher is investigating or any group of persons or organization being studied by an investigator that constitute the population. This research work is to research on the topic ‘The role of the media against global terrorism’.
SAMPLE SIZE AND SAMPLING TECHNIQUE
Undoubtedly, it is believed that the sample population of the tertiary institution, Kwara State Polytechnic is our sample. The researcher used the purpose sampling technique in selecting 100 respondents out of the students of different institute in kwara state polytechnic. Copies of questionnaire were administered on those who make themselves available; this ensures hundred percent rate of return.
INSTRUMENTATION
This research design is descriptive and expository in nature, questionnaire were use as instrument of data gathering. The questionnaire consist of questions which deals with the respondents demographic information and other which requires the respondents opinions or views on the “Role of the media in the crusade against global terrorism”.
CHAPTER FOUR
ANALYSIS OF THE FIELD PERFORMANCE
In this chapter, there is a brief discussion of procedure adopted in the analysis of data obtained from the field.
From the questionnaires administered, it was observed that data obtained must be put into table so that a quick look will give a better summary or conclusion of the research work. Data analysis is an initial aspect in research effort. It serves as the core of research for the fact that gives meaning to the raw data collected during the data collection stage.
One Hundred (100) questionnaires were distributed among the students of Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, Kwara State.
All the 100 questionnaires were retrieved and were validly responded to by the students.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY
This research work is primarily aimed at discovering “the role of the media in the crusade against global terrorism”.
This research design is however descriptive and expository in nature, questionnaires were shared among students of Kwara State Polytechnic in their various institutes on their opinions or views on the “role of the media in the crusade against global terrorism”
The primary functions of the media are the provision of adequate information about ongoing or current events in the society as a way of serving the public what they need to know.
However, the motives came in a negative direction as findings show that the media do not justify issue about terrorist and that they magnify the fear and threat of the people in the way they report terrorists’ activities.
In the view revealed vehemently by this research work according to the response of the respondents, a larger percentage feels that the media should give proper dissemination, good reporting, unbiased and accurately reporting about terrorism.
LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
This study is restricted to one polytechnic which is kwara state polytechnic due to the time frame. The time frame scheduled for the research work to be carried out is not too far sufficient to study more than one polytechnic or institution. In addition the researchers are still expected to meet other academic demands within the scheduled range of time.
Furthermore, the dilapidated and unequipped school library along side it’s outdated research materials also hampered the efficiency and smooth running of the literature review, this will make the researchers to strive for other sources to get other necessary materials for the work. Financial constrain has also limited the sample size, this has made the researchers to reduce the numbers of questionnaires and this has reduce the study of more people.
CONCLUSION
The dramatic narration and manners in which media report terrorist is the vital concern of many theorists who are interested in how the media have reported various terrorist acts. On this basis, the negative labeling and definition of the terrorist might have some effect in terms of how they are framed and primed in the mind of the audiences, nevertheless, the current news environment provides a site for a struggle against such framing and priming in the minds of the public.
However, terrorists must have publicity in some form if they are to gain attention, inspire fear and respect, secure favorable understanding, cooperation, restraint and loyalty in effort to limit terrorist harm to society and in efforts to punish or apprehend general pursue the freedom to cover and issues without restraint, especially government restraint.
The media, the news media in particular have been a ready accomplice for the achievement of the terrorist motives of creating fear in the minds of the public.
The media’s coverage of terrorism provokes both undue publicity for the terrorists and immeasurable fear, real or imaginary, in the minds of the public and thus, in the end, may embolden the terrorist to go further and raise the threshold of their violence. Livingstone (1982:63) argues that a heavy emphasis on the violent acts committed by terrorists may stimulate other terrorists to repeat the same crimes. In this view, there is evidence to suggest that detailed coverage of a terrorist act is apt to lead a rash of similar acts. In fact the contagion effect may spread beyond reducing the inhibition of the terrorists towards violence.
RECOMMENDATIONS
According to the finding of this research work, recommendable measures to be taken are suggested below:
Since the reportage of terrorist activities by the media is mostly for the benefit of the public, the government too should provide avenue for the public to assist the media. For example the emergency security number “911” should be active in all part of the country so that any member of the public can easily call any government authorities or security agent e.g. police, to report any suspicion or terrorist activities.
Furthermore, since the aim of the media is to help the public and assist them to be careful against terrorist attack, they (media) should not magnify the fear and threat of the people in the way they report about terrorism.
More so, all higher institution, Kwara State Polytechnic to be precise should include enlightenment about terrorism to their syllabus, since most youth now indulge in terrorist act.
REFERENCES
- Bassoni, M (1981) “Terrorist and media,” In Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology,”72,1-55
- Bruce Hoffman (2010)”Inside Terrorism”
- Lewis A Dexter/David m. white (Hrsg) 2010; “People, Society and Mass Communication”
- Lukman Azeez (PHD) 2012 “The Role of The Media in
- Reporting Terrorism” Journal of communication and media research, lecture11
- New York Times (2012) “Reporting On the government and Terrorists”
- Proffessor Dayo Alao Oguschi Uwon, 2012,”Terrorist Acts in Nigeria” (Boko Haram)
- Schlesinger, P, etal (1983)”Television, Terrorism, political violence in population culture” comedia publishing company, London.
- Snider P.B (1967)”Journalism Quarterly” Mr. Gates reviseded
