Reporting on terrorism and the responsibility of the media
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Reporting on terrorism and the responsibility of the media
How should media outlets cover terrorist events without causing public alarm or sharing distorted facts? Researchers at the University of Mannheim are looking into this question. Among them is a Ukrainian scientist, now a refugee, who has secured additiona l funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG). She is investigating terrorism reporting in Ukrainian, Russian and Belarusian media.
Ukrainian communication scientist Prof. Dr. Lesia Horodenko, now a refugee, has secured nearly 220,000 euros in extra funding. Her research is part of the DFG-funded project “Responsible Terrorism Coverage” at the Mannheim Centre for European Social Research (MZES), which has been led by Prof. Dr. Hartmut Wessler since 2017. Horodenko fled Ukraine in July 2024, having previously worked as a professor of communication studies at the University of Kiev.
Her research focuses on how media in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine utilize the term “terrorism” and the impact of various narratives on public perception. Pro-government and opposition media in Russia and other countries interpret the term differently, often using it to serve their agendas; for instance, Ukrainian military actions are labeled as “terrorism” in Russian outlets. In contrast, opposition media from Russia, especially those located in Latvia or Poland, present a more nuanced viewpoint and use the word “terrorism” less often when discussing Ukraine.
“We are investigating how different media narratives about terrorism influence public perception and how people react to such reporting,” explains the Ukrainian communication scientist. Horodenko aims to create guidelines for journalists and media on handling future terrorist incidents based on her research findings.
What approach should the press take when reporting on terrorist attacks?
Key components like tone, fact checking, and the use of visual media are also central to the project “Responsible Terrorism Coverage,” which is spearheaded by Prof. Dr. Hartmut Wessler from the University of Mannheim and his colleagues. The project's second stage, supported by the DFG through 2027, will explore the relationship between text and visuals. How should the media report on attacks and what images are they allowed to use? Should eyewitness videos of terrorist attacks be shared on social media? To answer these questions, Wessler and colleagues are carrying out experimental research to investigate whether responsible reporting leads to a more objective perception among media users.
“A positive effect of responsible reporting would be, for example, for people to be able to make a realistic assessment of the danger instead of panicking,” explains Wessler. He also emphasizes that entire communities should not be blamed for the actions of a few individuals.
The first stage of the project involved the research team analyzing how terrorism is reported across various nations and cultural contexts. The second stage of the project will now conduct experimental tests to see whether the recommendations for the media developed in the first stage were effective.
You can find more about the second stage of the “Responsible Terrorism Coverage” project here.
Contact: Prof. Dr. Lesia Horodenko (Interviews in English only) Academic staff member Institute for Media and Communication Studies University of Mannheim E-mail: lesia.horodenko@uni-mannheim.de Prof. Dr. Hartmut Wessler Institute for Media and Communication Studies University of Mannheim E-mail: wessler@uni-mannheim.de Yvonne Kaul Research Communication University of Mannheim Tel: +49 621 181-1266 e-mail: kaul@uni-mannheim.de