(COMMON DREAMS) Adam Johnson, November 25, 2015 — Another devastating terror spectacle and another media panic playing right into the script: spreading fear and sowing Islamophobia. Better writers than I have documented the latter, but not as much attention has been paid to the former—how in the wake of the Paris attacks 10 days ago, much of the media have needlessly stoked fears and acted, entirely predictably, as the PR wing for terrorists.
Let’s take a look at one of the more entirely pointless and trolly non-stories from last week:
Islamic State Releases Video Threatening Attack on New York City – USA Today
ISIS Threatens Paris, Rome, US in New Video – Daily Dot
New ISIS Video Threatens France, Italy, US – CNN
Do media have an obligation to cover terrorism? Of course. Is there any rule of journalism that says they have to jump in panic every time some anonymous ISIS account tweets out a spooky video? No.