ABSTRACT
While over-covering even minor terrorist incidents and terrorist threats the news media under-cover anti- and counterterrorist measures unless the latter involve military action or at least the threat of military reprisal or pre-emption. Not all counterterrorism measures make for breaking news like the high drama of bin Laden's death. But governments are in good positions to set the media agenda even without actual terrorist or counterterrorist actions. True to the media's tendency to highlight shocking, sensational, disconcerting news, all twenty-three announcements of increases in national or local terrorism alerts were reported on top of newscasts. The point here is that television coverage in the immediate hours following the 9/11 strikes foretold American counterterrorism policies, including the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Just as the news media overemphasize the episodic and most lethal, shocking, and spectacular aspects of terrorism, anti- and counterterrorism news, too, is tilted in favor of the most dramatic, deadly, and troubling events, developments, and messages.
