Media is a generic term meaning all the methods or channels of information and entertainment. The mass media are taken to encompass newspapers, radio and television, but other important forms of communications include books, films, music, theatre and the visual arts. The late twentieth century has seen the globalisation of the mass media culture, but we should not overlook the fact that throughout history informal methods of communication such as the gossip of the taverns, streets and marketplaces have been the standard local media for transmitting information, and these informal channels coexist with all the latest multimedia technology in contemporary societies.

Media-oriented terrorism is linked to the emergence of mass media that allows a global and live coverage of terrorist acts. Given that most counter- terrorism campaigns are won or lost in the political and psychological domains, the importance of information dissemination remains crucial. In the contest to win over the populace’s support, governments and terrorists utilize the media to shape and win over public opinion. The governments seek to gain a measure of popular legitimacy whereas the terrorists seek to erode that legitimacy by systematically targeting the government’s inaction. In the age of global terrorism being witnessed in 21st Century, the media today faces significant challenges in defining their role and responsibility in the public sphere. 

The mass media may quote someone verbatim using "terror" or "terrorism" in reference to an act performed by a group toward which the media is either neutral or opposed, but the press will never use these terms in a headline unless it not only disapproves of the act but has no sympathy for its perpetrators.

Role ofMedia

• The role of the media – even the “classic” media, such as newspapers, radio, and television – has changed over the years and has become more liable to offer a platform for the terrorist agenda.
• The major US networks all compete fiercely for an increased market share of the audience and for the higher advertising revenue they can gain through exploiting the public’s insatiable interest in the coverage of major terrorist ‘pseudo events’.”
• Media’s reporting of terrorist spectaculars helps to facilitate two of the universal goals of terrorism. Terrorists gain attention when the volume and placement of news coverage affects the public agenda. There is also evidence that thematically framed stories that refer to specific grievances influence public attitudes about the roots of politically motivated violence.
• Perception of Threat :9/11 attack killed less than 3,500 people and Flu kills around 36,000 annually
• The explosion and widespread reach of modern communication techniques makes the battle between the governments and the terrorists a global phenomenon. The increasingly interconnected nature of communications in a globalized age has altered the patterns of popular mobilization, and the pervasive media presence has also brought about significant changes in which terrorists acquire and disseminate strategic intelligence, recruit, emulate, and promote their cause.

• Scholarly interest in terrorism has grown dramatically since 9/11. One important line of inquiry within this body of research has been the media’s coverage of terrorism. Understanding the choices the media make, including the selection and prominence of presentation of terrorist incidents, has significant consequences for how the public thinks about terrorism, policymakers respond to terrorism, and terrorists attempt to use the media to accomplish their objectives.
• Both the state and the terrorists realize the importance of controlling the media content. While terrorists want their press releases to find a place on the front pages of the newspapers, the state public relations and media management units regularly release selective data and information to mould public opinion against terrorist violence and also to portray a conflict scenario when the state is shown as dominating.
• There is a number of other important ways in which responsible media in a democracy serves to frustrate the aims of terrorists. Terrorists like to present themselves as noble Robin Hoods, champions of the oppressed and downtrodden. By showing the savage cruelty of terrorists' violence and the way in which they violate the rights of the innocent, the media can help to shatter this myth.
• Responsible and accurate reporting of incidents can create a heightened vigilance among the public to observe objects such as unusual packages, suspicious persons or behaviour.
• Media with international coverage can provide valuable data and leads concerning foreign movements, links between personalities and different terrorist organisations, new types of weaponry and possible future threats, mass media in an open society are highly vulnerable to manipulation and exploitation by terrorists, they can also make an invaluable contribution to the defeat of terrorism.

Sensitive Reporting is required in the event of terrorist attack and media should refrain from giving sensational, exploitative and melodramatic reporting. Expectations from the media are high whenever emergencies are witnessed. Media should bear in mind that comments may be free but facts are sacred. The role and the responsibility of the media is significant during such crises.  The need is to define and know the difference between information, curiosity and the rumour.   The journalists have to be careful that the reporting does not create panic and fear amongst the countrymen and put the lives of the victims at risk and most important of all not to feed strategic information to the terrorists’ outfits through ‘spot-reporting’. There is an urgent need for guidelines to journalists for their role during such incidents. 

In print media the journalists can afford to analyze and report at length, but electronic media reporters with live coverage facility at their command, have  to draw the line themselves on the spot because once any damage is caused on account of insensitive coverage, the mischief may be  enormous and irreversible. Television channels, in their bid to increase the Television Rating Points (TRP), disclose vital information regarding the movement of security force personnel, positions of the hostages, and even conduct live interviews with some of the terrorists. In this context, the recommendations made by the Kargil Review Committee assume importance. The Committee had said that the ‘media has to be serviced at many levels – national, local and international’. The government needs to have dedicated services to broadcast information, so that ‘misleading reports and rumours’ are effectively countered. Media reporting also needs to show greater sensitivity in handling the exhausted and traumatized victims. It is more often than not that exhibition of mangled bodies creates deep shock and trauma to the viewers. Supreme Court of India’s observation that ‘Freedom of the Press is subject to reasonable restrictions enumerated in Article 19(2) of the Constitutions where sovereignty, integrity and the security of the country are concerned’ cannot be lost sight of.  Thus there is a need to ensure that the journalist do not become a tool in the hands of the terrorists by giving them the desired publicity.