The last week has seen terrorist attacks in France, Lebanon, Nigeria, and Mali. And while every terrorist attack is unique in its horror, the coverage tends to follow predictable, not always admirable, patterns: the inaccurate and uninformative phrases that are repeated endlessly; the viral photos that, even if well-meant, tend to be false; the phony experts pushing a political agenda.
In an attempt to separate the truth from the noise, and with the help of reporters, terrorism experts, and the media's best and worst habits, we put together a Breaking News Consumer's Handbook: Terrorism Edition.
- Politico's Jack Shafer discusses why words like "mastermind" create an unhelpful, even dangerous, fantasy, by overestimating the brilliance of murderers and downplaying the real world difficulties.
- J.M. Berger, co-author of "ISIS: The State of Terror," attempts to place terrorism in its context, explaining why, however frightening, a terrorist attack is not likely to be "unprecedented."
- Joanne Stocker, Managing Editor for Grasswire, discusses the social media reaction to last week's attack in Paris and advises on how best to proceed when your Twitter feed is overwhelmed by coverage in the immediate aftermath of an attack.
Music:
"Viderunt Omnes" by Kronos Quartet
"The Stone" by The Chieftains
"Final Retribution" by John Zorn
1. Remember, in the immediate aftermath almost everyone will get it wrong. Terrorist attacks are designed to sow mayhem and confusion. Even using best practices, news outlets, witnesses, and governments need time to get the facts straight.
2. As always, local, non-anonymous, and verified sources offer better info. Most news sources will be operating off of second- and third-hand information. Wait for trustworthy, verified reports from those who actually know.
3. Amid all the contradictory statements, focus on consistent reports.
4. The more emotional the commentary, the less reliable the information. Rational thinking is essential in these moments, as well as remembering the lessons of history.
5. Really don’t pay attention to politicians. Incidents like these are uniquely suited to political manipulation, especially in a campaign year, and politicians of all stripes will be tempted to push their favorite agenda.
6. In fact, examine the credentials of all putative “experts.” Just because someone worked in government doesn’t make them a terrorism expert. Even a CIA background is no guarantee of expertise.
7. Pay attention to the language the media uses:
- “Mastermind”… endows terrorists with more power than they have.
- “Sophisticated”… overestimates crudely planned mayhem.
- “Unprecedented” … there is little “new” in terrorist methods.
8. Inevitably, whole populations and religions are scapegoated. Ignore this.
9. Resist reflexive retweeting. Number of shares belies accuracy. Even well-intentioned social media users will get things wrong. Better to wait than to share an inaccurate meme that could have negative consequences. In fact, generally...
10. Be patient. No matter what, the unfolding of the story will take time and mistakes will be made. Allow the coverage to develop and let those who were affected recover and respond in their own way, on their own time.
