Mitigating the Impact of Media Reporting of Terrorism: Libya Case Study

This research paper shows that Libyan media outlets - particularly television channels, by far the most popular and influential medium - have played a significant role in the civil conflict since 2014. By taking partisan positions and adopting specific - and highly simplistic - narratives to describe complex security dynamics, they have influenced public perceptions of actors and driven the polarisation of public opinion.

This report is part of a wider project, led by the International Centre for Counter- Terrorism (ICCT) – the Hague, and funded by the EU Devco on “Mitigating the Impact of Media Reporting of Terrorism”. This project aims to produce evidence-based guidance and capacity building outputs based on original, context-sensitive research into the risks and opportunities in media reporting of terrorism and terrorist incidents. The role of media reporting on terrorism has been under investigated and is an underutilised dimension of a holistic counter-terrorism strategy. How the media reports on terrorism has the potential to impact counter-terrorism (CT) perspective positively or negatively.