This book attempts to provide a better understanding of the mass media’s role in the world of terrorism and counterterrorism. It attempts to solve a dilemma over the fundamental disagreements over the definition of terrorism, by suggesting terminology that links the understanding of terrorism to its perpetrators’ deliberate goal, to acquire publicity in the form of media coverage. The book is divided into six major chapters beginning with an explanation of the concept of mass-mediated terrorism and describes how it works in actual terrorist incidents. The second chapter examines how the mass media figured into the impact of the September 11th terrorist attacks on the United States, and how the news media reported this and the following anthrax letter scare. Chapter 3 demonstrates that political violence for the sake of publicity succeeds even when terrorists stage rather modest acts of terrorism. The fourth chapter explores mass-mediated terrorism on the premise that the new means of information and communication in particular offer groups and individuals with violent agendas and messages of hate unlimited, unchecked, and inexpensive opportunities to reach audiences around the world. Chapter 5 examines how the mass media covers anti- and counterterrorist policies in the American context and how this news figures into decisionmaking on the prevention and the countering of terrorism. Chapter 6 was written as a guideline for effective public information and media relations during terrorist crises. The book concludes by weighing the positive and negative features of the inevitable links between the mass media and terrorism, as well as counterterrorism. References