By Rasheed Otun
MY DOCTORAL research began with the title “𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗺” and later evolved into “𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗩𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲” after the University of Lagos awarded me a six-month research grant as a visiting scholar at the University of Georgia.
During the course of that research, I realized that what terrorists seek most is publicity. A lack of public attention can undermine their agenda.
In fact, there is little terrorists desire more than arresting and controlling people’s attention. I realized that what terrorists hate most is lack of publicity or lack of an audience to promote their agenda.
When you share video and news (fake or real) about terrorist acts, you are helping them to achieve their aims; you are acting as their marketers, public relations agents, and collaborators in achieving their goals. Beware and be aware!
Terrorism often follows a pattern that bears striking similarities to theatrical production. Like a stage play, a terrorist operation can be understood through three broad phases: 𝗽𝗿𝗲-𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁-𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.
During the pre-production stage, terrorists engage in activities comparable to those found in drama and theatre. They recruit members, assign roles, plan operations, gather resources, and rehearse their actions. In essence, they “audition”, “cast”, and “rehearse” their operation long before it is executed.
The production stage is the actual execution of the terrorist act. This is the moment when the operation is performed before its intended audience, the public. At this stage, publicity becomes crucial to the terrorists’ objectives.
Beyond the immediate physical damage, their goal is to attract attention, spread fear, create uncertainty, and dominate public consciousness. The success of the act, from their perspective, depends largely on how widely it is seen, discussed, and circulated.
The post-production stage follows the attack. During this period, terrorist groups evaluate the outcome of their operation, assess whether their objectives were achieved, measure the public and media response, consolidate gains, distribute spoils, and plan future activities. Just as theatre producers review the success of a performance, terrorists analyze the effectiveness of their actions in generating fear and publicity.
Understanding terrorism through this theatrical framework highlights a critical reality: violence alone is not the ultimate objective. Terrorists seek an audience. Publicity, media attention, and the amplification of fear are often as important to them as the act itself. Without widespread attention, their ability to influence, intimidate, and control public perception is significantly diminished.
Terrorism and terrorist acts are a ‘demonstrative violence’ which aims to spread terror, fear or chaos among the public. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in its Parliamentary hearing on Media and Terrorism held in Paris in the French Senate on March 17, 2005 came up with recommendations that should serve as a guide to media professionals dealing with the recreation of violence and terror.
Among others:
i. Avoid contributing to the aims of terrorists by adding to the feeling of public fear which terrorist acts can create or by offering terrorists a platform of high publicity.
ii. Refrain from disseminating shocking pictures or images of terrorist acts which violate the privacy and human dignity of victims or contribute to the terrorizing effect of such acts on the public as well as on the victims and their families; (qtd. in “Media and Terrorism”, The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Doc 10557)
The essence of these recommendations is to guide everyone from falling into the traps of terrorists. It guides against promoting fear through reporting violence because fear can lead to trauma and can also trigger more violence. Therefore, before sharing a video, image, or news report about a terrorist incident, ask yourself this question: 𝐀𝐦 𝐈 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐦 𝐈 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐤?
When we share graphic content or repeatedly circulate the heinous acts of terrorists, whether through videos, images, or news reports, we may inadvertently contribute to their goals by extending the reach and impact of their message.
Remember, when you share video and news (fake or real) of the heinous acts by terrorists, you are helping them to achieve their aims; you are acting as their marketing managers, public relations officers, and collaborators. Beware and be aware!
𝗥𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗢𝘁𝘂𝗻, 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗟𝗼𝘂𝗶𝘀𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲/𝗥𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲.
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