Overview
- Provides much needed empirical insight into the changing nature of the BBC’s representations of al-Qaeda from across the ‘war on terror’ period
- Synthesises theoretical approaches taken from political communications and cultural studies scholarship, a perspective that provides a deeper level of understanding of the way phenomena such as ‘al-Qaeda’ is made meaningful for British television audiences
- Provides unique insight into the way BBC journalists and editors themselves have sought to reflect on the difficulties of representing phenomena such as al-Qaeda, and, moreover, the ‘war on terror’ more generally
Part of the book series: New Security Challenges (NSECH)
Access this book
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Other ways to access
About this book
In the years since the September 11th 2001 attacks, the al-Qaeda phenomenon has become one of the most written about, yet crucially misunderstood, threats of the 21st century. But despite the sheer volume of literature produced during the ‘war on terror’ period, few studies have sought to consider the way this entity has been represented within the news media. The BBC, the War on Terror and the Discursive Construction of Al-Qaeda addresses this significant gap in knowledge by providing an original and much needed assessment of the various strategies used to depict ‘al-Qaeda’, and thus make it meaningful for British television audiences. Drawing on the work of French philosopher Michel Foucault, and focusing on Britain’s most watched and trusted news programme, the BBC’s flagship ‘News at Ten’ bulletin, the book provides insight into both the visual and verbal nature of these representations and the way they have shifted over the course of a ten-year period, whilealso shedding light upon the broader political and social consequences of the BBC’s portrayals. In doing so, the book not only helps to develop a deeper understanding of the complexity of the BBC’s representations, and their various shifts and transformations, but also details the process through which ‘al-Qaeda’ has been pieced together from a range of cultural parts. And how, ultimately, the dominant mode of representation used to portray this entity is one that closely resembles Britain’s own, diverse multicultural ‘self’.
Similar content being viewed by others
Keywords
- al-Qaeda
- BBC 'News at Ten'
- Michel Foucault
- representation
- 'war on terror'
- discourse
- dispositif
- media-state-terrorism relationship
- subject positioning
- truth regime
- September 11th 2001
- Orientalism
- interests
- strategy
- Wood Green ricin plot
- consequences
- July 7th 2005
- death of Osama bin Laden
- (in)visibility
- British Politics
- terrorism
Table of contents (7 chapters)
-
Front Matter
-
Back Matter
Reviews
“There’s never been a greater need to understand the evolving, complex role of the media in the war on terror, and there’s no better book today for this vital task than Representing Al-Qaeda. Dynamic, sophisticated and balanced in its assessment of the BBC’s terrorism-related coverage, this book provides much-needed insight and analytical nuance to the typical denunciations of the BBC’s bias. Essential reading for anyone interested in al Qaeda, terrorism, the media and the war on terror.” (Professor Richard Jackson, University of Otago, New Zealand, and Editor of Critical Studies on Terrorism and author of “Writing the War on Terror: Language, Politics and Counter-Terroris”)
"Thought-provoking and rigorous, Ahmad's book is an original and useful contribution to our understanding of how the phenomenon of Islamist extremist violence has been portrayed in the media, and how that portrayal has impacted on policy and public conversations. It will be useful for specialistsof security studies looking to broaden their perspectives, and specialists of media studies searching for a serious investigation of one of the most pressing issues of our time." (Jason Burke, Guardian Africa Correspondent, and author of The New Threat From Islamic Militancy and Al-Qaeda: The True Story of Radical Isla)
“Ahmad documents the rise of security journalism in the UK during the war on terror. In a time marked by uncertainty and anxiety, Ahmad shows how BBC News struggled to offer informed reporting on Al-Qaeda, adding to a public sense of diffused threat. This important research should be read by journalists, citizens and scholars, for we face the same struggle to make sense of ISIS now and we will face other obscure and shifting threats in the future.” (Professor Ben O’Loughlin, Royal Holloway University, and author of Television and Terror: Conflicting Times and the Crisis of News Discours)
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Jared Ahmad is a lecturer in Journalism, Politics and Communication at the University of Sheffield, UK.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: The BBC, The 'War on Terror' and the Discursive Construction of Terrorism
Book Subtitle: Representing al-Qaeda
Authors: Jared Ahmad
Series Title: New Security Challenges
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76608-9
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: Political Science and International Studies, Political Science and International Studies (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2018
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-76607-2Published: 30 April 2018
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-09533-8Published: 24 January 2019
eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-76608-9Published: 21 April 2018
Series ISSN: 2731-0329
Series E-ISSN: 2731-0337
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: VII, 226
Number of Illustrations: 1 b/w illustrations
Topics: Terrorism and Political Violence, International Security Studies, Conflict Studies, British Politics, Terrorism, Crime and the Media