Turning terrorism into a soap opera

Abstract

Last November’s television coverage of the attacks in Mumbai was sensationalist and marked by fevered speculation that led to the transmission of many falsehoods. It also sparked a controversial debate about whether it might be necessary to regulate reporting during an unfolding emergency. Daya Thussu, Professor of International Communication at the University of Westminster, explores the issues and raises questions about the commercial imperative that drives TV to present atrocity as spectacle.