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Full-Text Articles in Criminology and Criminal Justice
Why Do Some Terrorist Attacks Receive More Media Attention Than Others?, Erin M. Kearns, Allison E. Betus, Anthony F. Lemieux
Why Do Some Terrorist Attacks Receive More Media Attention Than Others?, Erin M. Kearns, Allison E. Betus, Anthony F. Lemieux
Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications
Terrorist attacks often dominate news coverage as reporters seek to provide the public with information. Yet, not all incidents receive equal attention. Why do some terrorist attacks receive more media coverage than others? We argue that perpetrator religion is the largest predictor of news coverage, while target type, being arrested, and fatalities will also impact coverage. We examined news coverage from LexisNexis Academic and CNN.com for all terrorist attacks in the United States between 2006 and 2015 (N=136). Controlling for target type, fatalities, and being arrested, attacks by Muslim perpetrators received, on average, 357% more coverage than other attacks. Our …