Post 9/11 Coverage of Terrorism in the New York Times

• In Event: Media and Terrorism

Abstract

Media coverage of terrorist attacks plays an important role in shaping the public understanding
of terrorism. While there have been studies analyzing coverage of incidents prior to 9/11, there
has been little research examining post-9/11 coverage. This study fills this gap by examining
coverage in the United States between the dates of September 12, 2001 and December 31, 2015,
using a list of terrorist-related incidents to find relevant New York Times articles. This study
identifies the variables influencing whether an incident is covered and how much coverage it
receives. The results follow a similar pattern to pre-9/11 findings, where most terrorist incidents
receive no coverage while a few are sensationalized. Incidents with casualties, Jihadi
perpetrators, governmental targets, or firearms are significantly more likely to be covered and
receive more news space. Additionally, analysis of the content of these articles tends to portray
Jihadi incidents as international regardless of perpetrator origin.

Authors

• Zachary S. Mitnik, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

• Joshua Freilich, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

• Steven Chermak, Michigan State University