ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that the terrorism spectacle was seriously distorted in the news through the exercise of political power. By 1980 political conservatives in the United States were alarmed at what they perceived to be a series of serious setbacks in American foreign policy and internal security. News media representations of terrorism reflected the ideological and strategic interests of powerful elite political actors and agents, usually key government officials in the executive branch. Political power is held by those who have ready access to the channels of mass communication and who vigorously use that access to shape the news content and meaning. It is often argued that in a sense, terrorists have the upper hand in this matter. As the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador investigation indicates, the terrorist enemies in the United States were largely those who disagreed with administration policies in Central America.
