A framework for coverage that is responsible, proportionate Jean-Paul Marthoz and free of stigmatisation and sensationalism... “Publicity is the oxygen of terrorism.” Margaret Thatcher United Nations Educational, Scientific and “News is the lifeblood of liberty.” Katherine Graham Cultural Organization Targeted towards journalists and media professionals, this handbook is designed to provide key information and encourage reflection on the way that terrorism is covered in the media. Based upon advice from leading institutions and experts, and filled with examples, it explores the professional challenges and ethical dilemmas inherent in terrorism reporting, and poses fundamental questions about what the impact of current treatment may be on social cohesion and the prevalence of fear in society. Topics covered: Journalistic “framing” of terrorism Handling figures, images and words The balance between freedom, security Coverage of attacks and hostage situations and responsibility Management of social media the Media and Terrorism Ethical issues Relations with victims, authorities and terrorists The challenges of fear, hate and generalisation Security of journalists Special sections: Terrorism Cultural Heritage Destruction and Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Property About the author and the Jean-Paul Marthoz is a journalist and essayist. Columnist at the newspaper Le Soir Media (Belgium) and professor of international journalism at the Catholic University of Louvain, he is the author of several books on journalism and international relations. He was previously the Director of the Media Programme for Democracy at the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), European Information Director at Human Rights Watch and correspondent for the European Union of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ, New York). Communication and Information Sector United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization 9 789231 001994 A Handbook for Journalists media_terrorisme_couv_02.indd 1-3 30/01/2017 10:50 Published in 2017 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization 7, place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP, France © UNESCO 2017 ISBN 978-92-3-100199-4 The text of this publication is available in Open Access under the Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 IGO (CC-BY-SA 3.0 IGO) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ igo/). By using the content of this publication, the users accept to be bound by the terms of use of the UNESCO Open Access Repository (http://www.unesco.org/open- access/terms-use-ccbysa-en). The present license applies exclusively to the text content of the publication. For the use of any material not clearly identified as belonging to UNESCO, prior permission shall be requested from: [email protected] or UNESCO Publishing, 7, place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP France. Original title: Les médias face au terrorisme : manuel pour les journalistes Published in 2017 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Revised edition The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this publica- tion do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The ideas and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors; they are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization. Author: Jean-Paul Marthoz Editors: Mirta Lourenço, Tim Francis Cover photograph: © Aija Lehtonen / Shutterstock, Inc. Printed in France Foreword It is difficult to overstate the fraught complexity of the relationship be- tween terrorism and the media. Perhaps no other issue has been characterised by such prolific wall-to- wall coverage in recent years, and perhaps no other has so challenged media professionals to maintain journalistic ethics and balance in their reporting. 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 at- tract 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 is the context for UNESCO commissioning this handbook: to explore some of the ethical dilemmas present in terrorism coverage, and start a conversation with media professionals as to how to respond appropri- ately and proportionately. Of course, this is by no means a call for less information. Journalism has an obligation to provide verifiable information in the public interest, and audiences have a fundamental right to access accurate and balanced information, especially when it may affect their own safety or freedom. Yet is this achieved by unrelenting coverage, constant breaking alerts and the same news repeated again and again, for events inherently de- signed to incite fear? In a major 2017 survey of 20,000 young people across the globe, 83% said that terrorism made them fearful for the future – more than any 1 other factor, including climate change, war, and income inequality. 1 “Generation Z: Global Citizenship Survey”, Varkey Foundation, 2017 To what extent is coverage playing into the interests of fearmongers? And to what extent does coverage skew towards an existing narrative or prevalent idea of “who is a terrorist”? Surely the words used, examples cited and images displayed should inform and not sensationalise. Some research suggests that, controlling for other factors, an attack perpetrated by Muslims is covered significantly more than other terrorist attacks.2 And much attention has been paid to attacks in Western coun- tries, despite 96% of the victims of terrorism in 2016 being in Africa, the Middle East or South Asia.3 These kinds of representations can fan stereotypes 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.4 As the United Nations agency responsible for “building peace in the minds of men and women”, this issue strikes particularly close to our hearts at UNESCO. We are actively engaged in preventing all forms of violent extremism, through the education and empowerment of young people, and safeguarding and celebrating cultural diversity. Through our mandate to promote freedom of expression and access to information in the media and on the Internet, we are working closely with media organizations to provide training and capacity-building – based upon the advice contained in this handbook – to raise awareness of these challenges and better support journalists reporting in this area. We are contributing our expertise and experience to the UN Secretary- General’s Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism, and working closely with the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT), na- tional governments, and other key entities to ensure the global response to violent extremism is coordinated, coherent and effective. The scourge of terrorism, whoever commits or sponsors it, must be thwarted wherever it strikes, its victims supported and honoured, and 2 Kearns, E.M., Betus, A. & Lemieux, A. “Why Do Some Terrorist Attacks Receive More Media Attention Than Others?”, Justice Quarterly, 2018. 9, 2018. 3 Global Terrorism Database, University of Maryland, 2016 4 Comité contre l’islamophobie en France (CCIF), 2015 ; E Hanes, “Hate Crime in the Wake of Terror Attacks: Evidence from 7/7 and 9/11”, Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, Vol 30, Issue 3, 2014.; Brian H Levin, “Responses to the Increase in Religious Hate Crimes”, United States Senate: Committee on the Judiciary, May 2 2017. its perpetrators brought to justice. Media can cover these dimensions, and at the same time highlight genuine dialogue and discussion as al- ternatives to violence and bloodshed. We may not be able to prevent terrorism every time, but what we do have control over is our reactions. To not allow it to provoke us into living our lives in fear, nurturing our own prejudices and hatred or shutting down legitimate voices. In other words, to avoid letting terror dismantle all of the progress we have made in the advancement of democracy, freedom of expression and human rights around the world. Otherwise, we risk playing right into the hands of those engaged in ter- ror, as well as others who instrumentalise attacks to justify suspicion, polarisation and violations of rights. Media can do better. Moez Chakchouk UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information Table of Contents Main TOC Introduction 9 1. Basic Issues in Covering Terrorism 19 1.1 The notion of ‘state terrorism’ 20 1.2 Avoiding glorification 21 1.3 Reporting on different forms of terrorism 21 1.4 Lists of terrorist organizations 24 2. Media on the Front Lines 27 2.1 A reference point 27 2.2 Ethics and principles 28 1. The pursuit of truth 28 2. Independence 28 3. Responsibility to others 30 4. Transparency 30 2.3 The duty of knowledge 30 2.4 Facing the law 31 2.5 Relations with authorities 32 2.6 “Framing” terrorism 34 2.7 Guaranteeing the rule of law and human rights 37 2.8 Confronting fear 38 2.9 Inclusive journalism 39 2.10 Thinking globally 40 3. Ground Rules 45 3.1 The discipline of caution and doubt 45 3.2 Respect-based ethics 50 3.3 Victims: more than just names 52 3.4 Words 52 3.5 Figures 58 3.6 Images 60 Images of children 63 “Citizen” images 64 3.7 Generalisations 65 3.8 Hate speech 67 3.9 Rumours 67 4. Covering an Attack 71 4.1 Initial confusion 71 4.2 Preparation 72 4.3 Live broadcasting 74 5.