The Battlefield of the Media: Reporting Terrorism in Conditions of Conflict and Political Repression

This report synthesises the findings of four country case study papers which explored the challenges for journalists in reporting on terrorism in conflict-affected or authoritarian societies in the Middle East/North Africa region. The paper examines the aims and methods of states (which, in the region, are usually authoritarian and repressive) and non-state actors, including terrorist groups. It goes on to analyse the merits of citizen and conflict-sensitive journalism as approaches to reporting terrorism in such challenging settings.