Presentation Title
Media Analysis of Domestic Terrorism: a Comparison of Far-Right Extremists Terrorism and Radical Islamic Terrorism
Faculty Mentor
Brandon Fryman, Wesley Nielson
Start Date
18-11-2017 10:00 AM
End Date
18-11-2017 11:00 AM
Location
BSC-Ursa Minor 29
Session
Poster 1
Type of Presentation
Poster
Subject Area
behavioral_social_sciences
Abstract
Media Analysis of Domestic Terrorism: a Comparison of Far-Right Extremists Terrorism and Radical Islamic Terrorism
Author: Cyndi Frausto, Citrus College
Mentors: Professor Brandon Fryman, Citrus College
Professor Wesley Nielsen, Citrus College and Chaffey College
Many American’s worst fear is domestic terrorism, particularly domestic terrorism, which refers to United States citizens committing terrorist acts, perpetrated by radical Islamic terrorists. Terrorism is defined by Noam Chomsky as "the calculated use of violence or threat of violence to attain goals that are political, religious, or ideological in nature...through intimidation, coercion, or instilling fear." The subject area I am exploring is domestic terrorism in the United States from 2001 to 2016. Between September 12, 2001 and December 31, 2016 the US Extremist Crime Database identified 94 total acts of domestic terrorism, with white nationalists/far-right extremists committing 62 acts, and radical Islamic terrorists committing 32 acts of terrorism. I attempted to solve the question: Are the races and religions that commit the most acts of domestic terror disproportionately labeled as terrorists by the media? The main bodies of evidence I considered in approaching my question were: the Government Accountability Office’s Report from April 2016 on violent extremism, the US Extremist Crime Database (ECDB), and top google media searches resulting from the perpetrator’s name. The number of official acts of terror as deemed by the Government Accountability Office stands in stark contrast to the number of events referred to as terrorism in the media. I found that although radical Islamic extremists commit less acts of domestic terror in comparison with far-right extremists, they are more often labeled as terrorist acts by the media. Further work in this area can help aid in a better understanding of the role the media plays in terrorist stereotypes and rhetoric.
Media Analysis of Domestic Terrorism: a Comparison of Far-Right Extremists Terrorism and Radical Islamic Terrorism
BSC-Ursa Minor 29
Media Analysis of Domestic Terrorism: a Comparison of Far-Right Extremists Terrorism and Radical Islamic Terrorism
Author: Cyndi Frausto, Citrus College
Mentors: Professor Brandon Fryman, Citrus College
Professor Wesley Nielsen, Citrus College and Chaffey College
Many American’s worst fear is domestic terrorism, particularly domestic terrorism, which refers to United States citizens committing terrorist acts, perpetrated by radical Islamic terrorists. Terrorism is defined by Noam Chomsky as "the calculated use of violence or threat of violence to attain goals that are political, religious, or ideological in nature...through intimidation, coercion, or instilling fear." The subject area I am exploring is domestic terrorism in the United States from 2001 to 2016. Between September 12, 2001 and December 31, 2016 the US Extremist Crime Database identified 94 total acts of domestic terrorism, with white nationalists/far-right extremists committing 62 acts, and radical Islamic terrorists committing 32 acts of terrorism. I attempted to solve the question: Are the races and religions that commit the most acts of domestic terror disproportionately labeled as terrorists by the media? The main bodies of evidence I considered in approaching my question were: the Government Accountability Office’s Report from April 2016 on violent extremism, the US Extremist Crime Database (ECDB), and top google media searches resulting from the perpetrator’s name. The number of official acts of terror as deemed by the Government Accountability Office stands in stark contrast to the number of events referred to as terrorism in the media. I found that although radical Islamic extremists commit less acts of domestic terror in comparison with far-right extremists, they are more often labeled as terrorist acts by the media. Further work in this area can help aid in a better understanding of the role the media plays in terrorist stereotypes and rhetoric.