Movie: This is your brain on terrorism
This is your brain on terrorism – VOX
Security is a feeling: you can feel secure, even if you are not, and you can feel unsecure while you are protected. It is likely that people downplay common risks and overplay small risks, e.g., many people are afraid of flying but not driving a car. However, driving a car is statistically more dangerous. News tends to repeat rare risks because of their characteristics – news is something that rarely happens. Therefore, stories that gain attention from media should be scary, threatening, and terrifying to grab the attention of as many people as possible. When something is familiar, it is no longer in the news.
The impact of the media on how people build their feeling of security should not be underestimated. Bruce Schneier’s research on the connections between feeling of security, attention, and the news suggest that the patterns of news production and consumption are responsible for a phenomenon called security theatres (Schneier, 2008). Firstly, based on repetition of news – events that do not occur usually – people are taken over by fear and panic that has been echoed in media. Secondly, distressed people feel that their security is threatened and require authorities to react. In such situations, the measures requested by the public often are not strategically helpful, yet due to the demand of a large number of people, they are implemented anyway. An example of a security theatre and non-strategic solution to a problem is D. Trump’s idea to build a wall between the US and Mexico to decrease illegal migration. Implemented security measures provide a feeling or illusion of improved security while actually doing little or nothing.
9/11 terror attacks were influential for how we see, talk and teach about terrorism. The global war on terror begun after the attacks influenced international cooperation to counter terrorism, violent extremism, and organization of preventive work. The education system is seen as a strategically necessary counterpart in preventing violent extremism and terrorism. Therefore, the responsibilities of schools in that regard are enormous. Among many other tasks, they include provision of a safe and respectful learning environment as well as teaching media literacy and source criticism (Radicalisation Awareness Network 2015).
Perception of terrorism and violent extremism have significantly changed in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks. Since then, preventative measures and initiatives have found their way to education systems with UK’s Channel and PREVENT programmes, where educators have very impactful roles, being the most well-known examples (Busher et. al., 2017).
A study conducted by Wallner (2020) highlights that globally used P/CVE initiatives aim to raise historical awareness, values of citizenship, civic participation, to develop critical thinking skills, and build resistance towards violent extremism. Although terror attacks of 9/11 and their aftermath are widely discussed with students in the US, there are no standard federal guidelines for teachers on how to teach about them. (Waxman, 2019)
The analysis of the initiatives indicates that local drivers of radicalisation and recruitment are not always effectively addressed and, therefore, can do more harm than good. In addition, there are cases where education interventions are unnecessarily labelled as P/CVE. Moreover, such tendency can have a harmful effect on the sector. Most importantly, Waxman’s research (p. 29) shows that “the evidence base for education initiatives in P/CVE is limited and existing evaluations tend to focus on short-term output measures rather than long-term outcomes.” Davies (2018) in her analysis of educational initiatives in counter-extremism agrees on the absence of assessments of the impact of those measures. It remains unclear what is the long-term impact of educational measures as most of them are not evidence-based.
Researchers have also studied impact of terrorist attacks on educational achievement of survivors and on teaching. A study focusing on 2011 Utøya youth camp attack survivors suggested that their educational performance as well as their health had deteriorated in effect of the incident (Stene et al., 2019). Finnish researchers (Vallinkoski, Koirikivi, and Malkki, 2021) have focused on how themes associated with violent radicalisation, extremism, and terrorism have been brought up in and fuelled classroom discussions.
In short, education is seen as one of the main tools to support the fight against terrorism and violent extremism, especially in preventing and countering extremism. However, as more is expected every day from teachers regarding work on prevention of terrorism and violent extremism, educators need support in raising awareness of the issue and proper methodical training.
Terror attacks, in most cases, are highly covered in mass media. According to Michael Jetter, one additional article in the New York Times on a terror attack was suggested to produce 1.4 attacks over the following week (Jetter, 2017). In this way, terrorists receive attention for their cause and, as phrased by Richards (2014), generate a psychological impact beyond the immediate victims or object of attack for a political motive. Using Jetter’s work, White (2020) has claimed that, although it is difficult to test empirically the systematic interplay between media attention and terrorism, it is highly likely that lacking media coverage, the number of terror attacks would decrease.
This e-module brings together terror attacks, mass media and the education system by directing educators in how to organise a post-terror attack lesson with upper secondary school students. It is just a guidance material, not a ready script whose every step should be followed. Teachers should choose their responses and approaches based on the nature of the act, student age and readiness, and the school values and norms. Exercises are planned as supporting activities after the discussion to raise awareness and enhance the knowledge discussed in the lesson plan.
