Framing a ‘lone-wolf’ attack: CNN online news treatment on Norway massacre and Sydney hostage crisis

Jamali, bin Bujang Sanawi (2017) Framing a ‘lone-wolf’ attack: CNN online news treatment on Norway massacre and Sydney hostage crisis. In: Democratisation of Media: Issues and Realities. UNIMAS Publisher, Kota Samarahan, pp. 53-68. ISBN 978-967-2008-44-6

Preview	PDF iCMAS 2015 Full paper Jamali_update.pdf Download (442kB) | Preview
	PDF Framing the Lone Wolf Terrorism.pdf Download (4MB)

Abstract

Since the terrorist attack on American soil in September 11, 2001, Western news media has been accused of being hostile toward Arabs and Muslim’s world in general. Repeated themes developed around Muslim’s acts of terrorism in Western media were seen as the fuel that perpetuated the idea of Muslim culture being barbaric, uncivilized and backward in the mind of the Western society. While the argument is true (on some level) when the act were carried out by terrorist group such as Al-Qaeda, little is known on how media would react to such heinous attacks if it were perpetrated by a single individual or a ‘lone wolf’ attacker who hold different religious background. A total of 214 headlines on Norway massacre and Sydney hostage crisis that were published on CNN website were analyzed and it was found that there was a distinct treatment given to both cases. The findings reaffirmed Powell (2011) model of terrorism coverage whereby the Muslim easily became the immediate suspect in the wake of terrorism event. Apart from that, there were also differences in the description of the suspects in which the Norway massacre suspect was described as meticulous and his motive was thoroughly investigated while the Sydney hostage taker was portrayed as a criminal who subscribed to radical Islamic ideology. It appear that the way American media such as CNN framed the events could further enhance the exclusion of Muslim from the mainstream American public way of life and perpetuate the idea of ‘others’ against the Muslim community.

Item Type:	Book Chapter
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Media, CNN, News Online, conference, unimas, university, universiti, Borneo, Malaysia, Sarawak, Kuching, Samarahan, ipta, education, research, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) H Social Sciences > HT Communities. Classes. Races
Divisions:	Academic Faculties, Institutes and Centres > Faculty of Social Sciences & Humanities Faculties, Institutes, Centres > Faculty of Social Sciences & Humanities
Depositing User:	Bujang Sanawi
Date Deposited:	16 Nov 2018 07:51
Last Modified:	16 Nov 2018 07:51
URI:	http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/22497

Available Versions of this Item

• Framing a ‘lone-wolf’ attack: CNN online news treatment on Norway massacre and Sydney hostage crisis. (deposited 16 Nov 2018 07:51) [Currently Displayed]

Actions (For repository members only: login required)

View Item