Acts of anti-American
terrorism are becoming increasingly common and more and more are occurring on American soil, according
to Columbia
political scientist Brigitte L. Nacos. According to Nacos, the rise in
terrorism is not a matter of flawed national security. It has more to do with the success that terrorists have enjoyed in exploiting the relationships among the media, public opinion and political decision-making. This paper addresses the effects of the media on terrorism. It shows that according to Nacos, government policy is often shaped by terrorist action, even in cases where a conflict of interest between the safety of hostages and the interests of the nation exists. This paper examines the media's influence on terrorism, to determine whether or not the media should provide less coverage of terrorism or if they should continue to report the news.