“Was it a killing spree or was it terror?” Mechanisms and obstacles of journalistic media coverage of (terrorist) violent events

Abstract

Germany has been the target of terrorist acts several times in recent years. Especially in violent events with many victims and fatalities, such as the attack at Berlin's Breitscheidplatz, media interest is high-which, in turn, is the aim of terrorists' actions. The reasons and factors influencing media reporting on violent terrorist acts in Germany have so far hardly been examined. This applies not least to the question of when and why which terms are used for framing such violent events. The present article addresses the mechanisms and obstacles journalists are confronted with when reporting about violent (terrorist) acts a) by analyzing tweets from journalistic news media and the police on occasion of the mass shooting in Munich in 2016 and b) by conducting nine guideline-based expert interviews with journalists and communication officers from police authorities who have had professional contact with violent (terrorist) acts in recent years. The results show that reporting on these violent events can be exceptional and stressful situations for journalists. According to their professional self-image, they have to report and educate. But often hardly any necessary information is available. Information sources are often uncertain, and even the police statements in these highly dynamic situations are characterized by snapshots of the operational events. The concrete wording of violent incidents is reflected in the editorial offices and discussed quite controversially. At the same time, the attractiveness of the label “terror” for reporting on the part of journalistic media sometimes leads to ethically questionable excesses.