Covering Terrorism: Worst-case scenarios

A second major question concerned the media's coverage of the bioterrorist threat, and by extension the threat of chemical and nuclear weapons. Very soon after the terrorism events of September 11, the media became what I only can call obsessed with reporting about the possibilities for even worse acts of terrorism to visit the United States. The television news programs were particularly biased on this topic. Anchors preferred to interview terrorism experts who believed a major threat existed, who maximized or magnified the threat of biological and chemical terrorism. The anchors made no secret of that fact that they did not want to hear from those who believed the threat to be minor or not immediate.

Coverage of Biological and Chemical Terrorism Before Anthrax Attacks

Even before the first anthrax case was reported, the major television networks as well as National Public Radio and the leading print press had all extensively covered the biological and chemical terrorism threat. These news reports were created without a single known biological or chemical incident. Even the anthrax threat was specifically covered before a single infection had been identified.

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