ABSTRACT
On one of the most extraordinary days in American political history, citizens watched the simultaneous release of US embassy personnel held hostage in Iran and the inauguration of Ronald Reagan. Journalists are attracted to drama, and few political spectacles offer greater dramatic appeal than violence. The State Department's is quite acceptable: "Terrorism is premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine state agents, usually intended to influence an audience." Serious political consequences are thought to result from news coverage of terrorism. Most importantly, it has been suggested that terrorist violence undermines the legitimacy of the state by creating the impression that it is failing in its essential function of providing for the security of its citizens. Whereas the central feature of the understanding of terrorism just outlined is the mutually beneficial relationship between terrorists and the news media, referred as the legitimation model, is the relationship between the news media and officials.
