After terrorist organization al-Qaeda conducted an attack on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Virginia on September 11, 2001, the American public became increasingly more alarmed at the possibility of another terrorist attack on American soil. In 2007, a national crime survey measured the American public’s “fear of being a victim of a terrorist attack,” and results showed that “the level of fear of being a victim of terrorist attack was greater for females as compared to males… [and] white respondents were less fearful [than other racial groups]” (Gaines & Kappeler, 2012, pp. 2-3). Despite the gender and racial disparities in fear levels, fear of terrorism victimization ranked third overall behind residential burglary and auto theft (Gaines & Kappeler, 2012). The September 11, 2001 attacks drastically changed life in the United States because fear of terrorism impacted businesses, foreign travel, politics, and American lifestyles.
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Presently, media coverage of terrorist attacks, especially domestic attacks, is extensive and may foster a fearful environment if the details are not reported accurately. According to a 2016 Pew Research Center study, 57% of Americans get their news from television, and 38% of Americans get their news online (Mitchell, Gottfried, Barthel & Shearer, 2016). It is vitally important to understand and study how media coverage of domestic terrorism may affect the American
Presently, media coverage of terrorist attacks, especially domestic attacks, is extensive and may foster a fearful environment if the details are not reported accurately. According to a 2016 Pew Research Center study, 57% of Americans get their news from television, and 38% of Americans get their news online (Mitchell, Gottfried, Barthel & Shearer, 2016). It is vitally important to understand and study how media coverage of domestic terrorism may affect the American