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International Journal of Comparative Sociology, Vol. 46, No. 1-2,
33-53 (2005)
DOI: 10.1177/0020715205054469
Terror, Media, and Moral Boundaries
Nachman Ben-Yehuda
Hebrew University Jerusalem, Israel, msnachman{at}pluto.mscc.huji.ac.il
The relationship between terror and its presentation in the media is examined. The process of presenting terror is characterized as a method of challenging, negotiating, and redrawing moral boundaries. On the one hand, examining the terror-media relationship in this fashion enables us to transcend issues involved in taking a stand regarding the contents of specific acts of terror. On the other hand, making a stand regarding the nature of terror requires a moral decision. Any such stand regarding the content of terror, in terms of its explanation and justification, is thus based on a moral agenda that can be deciphered from the way it is presented. I use the case of political assassinations and executions to illustrate this terror-media connection through the conceptualization of negotiating moral boundaries.
Key Words: assassinations • media • moral boundaries • terror • war
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