ABSTRACT
Terrorist groups commit violent, dramatic events to generate strategically desirable public attention that they hope will pressure targeted political leaders into giving them what they want. Terrorists seek attention that increases their own visibility, legitimacy, and prestige while also instilling feelings of threat, panic, or moral indignation in a target population. Ironically, the easiest way for journalists and social media users to talk about terrorist attacks is by providing exactly the kinds of attention that terrorist groups are after. This chapter reviews the strategic communication goals that motivate terrorist activity and outlines several simple steps that journalists and social media users can take to deny terrorists the attention they are trying to generate. Responsible social media sharing and journalistic reporting undermine the strategic purpose of terrorist violence by giving terrorists just some – but not all – of what they want. Instead of amplifying the psychological impact of terrorist attacks, responsible citizens and journalists who follow these recommendations can increase societal resilience to terrorist threats and reduce the strategic incentives that lead terrorists to commit violent acts in the first place.
