Terrorism as Breaking News: Attack on America
Terrorism's efficacy, like beauty, is in the eyes of the beholder in that those who commit political violence deliberately directed against civilians believe in the success of their deeds. In one respect, most if not all terrorists do achieve an important goal. Whenever they strike, especially if they stage socalled terrorist spectaculars, their deeds assure them massive news coverage and the attention of the general public and governmental decision makers in their particular target societies. Moreover, given the global nature of the communication system, the perpetrators of international and domestic terrorism also tap into the international media and thereby receive the attention of publics and governments beyond their immediate target countries. Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher once said that publicity is the oxygen of terrorism. Without publicity, terrorism would be like the proverbial tree that falls in the forest and the press is not there to report-it would be as if the incident never happened. The term "mass-mediated terrorism" signifies the centrality of media considerations in the calculus of political violence that is committed by nonstate actors against civilians.' While publicity is not the ultimate objective, terrorists recognize that it is the means to advertise and further their larger political ends. This article examines whether and how the architects of the horrific events of September 11 succeeded in achieving their media goals.