ABSTRACT
In the twenty years since the political crisis set off by two kidnappings and the assassination of a minister by the Front de libération du Québec in October 1970, other crises of various sorts have shaken different parts of the world: the British-Argentine war in the Falklands, the U.S. invasion of Grenada, the IRA’s campaign in Ireland, the drought in the Sahel, the energy crisis, the drama surrounding AIDS, and the stock market crash of 1987 are some examples that come to mind. Each of these crises can be considered as events that upset the social and political equilibrium of the societies concerned, and raise the question of the role of media.
