How do media cover acts of terrorism or political extremism? With examples from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, IMS is launching a report that presents empirical data and analysis of the coverage of extremism and terrorism by media in Central Asia. The report is pioneering this field, as facts about the actual media coverage remains scarce on a global scale and is the first of its kind in Central Asia

Following the 9-11 terrorist attacks on the United States in 2001, media all over the world have increasingly focused on covering any signs of political extremism locally as well as globally. Central Asia is no exception - in fact, the spread of political extremism is one of a number of topics subject to considerable attention and concern by the public as well as the authorities.

At the same time, however, few studies have dealt with uncovering, how media behave in an atmosphere of global fear. Therefore, IMS decided to support the study which forms the basis of the report: "Political extremism, terrorism and media in Central Asia - with examples of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan". The report is being launched in Almaty in Kazakhstan and Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan this week.

The report is the work of Dusan Reljic, a senior research associate at the German Institute for International Affairs and Security (SWP) in Berlin, who designed and conducted the study for IMS in close collaboration with The international Foundation for Protection of Freedom of Speech in Kazakhstan (Adil Soz) and The public Association "Journalists" in Kyrgyzstan. along with the overall report which is published in an English as well as Russian version, a research report on case studies in Kyrgyzstan produced by "Journalists" is also available in English and Russian.

In line with the newspaper tradition in Central Asia, cartoons produced by cartoonists in Central Asia illustrate the front cover of "Political extremism, terrorism and media in Central Asia" as well as the report itself.

Media resort to neutral tone

According to the findings with examples from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, quantitative monitoring showed that in most cases, political extremism and terrorism are only covered when incidents occur. The study also indicates that media tend to resort to a neutral tone of coverage, and it is suggested that this is mainly to avoid criticism from the government.

In the theoretical chapter, the report uncovers that, among primarily Western scholars, there is widespread acceptance of the assumption that there is a potentially "dangerous liaison" between extremism, terrorism and the mass media as many authors support the view that politically motivated violence is made for TV. Others would argue, the report states, that extensive media coverage of such issues derives from the economic interests of media to attract as large crowds of audiences as possible - nevermind the means or content.
The report contains a set of recommendations to media, media owners as well as civil society and authorities that suggest to upgrade the professional skills among all groups to inform the general public "in a timely and reliable manner" on all contentious issues.

IMS involvement

Having read the report, deputy director of IMS, Thomas Hughes says that IMS hopes to have contributed to providing its partners with a useful tool for further work in this area:

- We hope that the report provides empirical data to support the conclusions and recommendations of this report and that the study will help our partners in their work towards helping local communities understand the challenges which affect them in their daily lives. We believe, that by following the recommendations of the report it is possible to strengthen the media's ability to tackle these issues in the future, and IMS will continue to help local partners push for action on these issues.

The reports may be downloaded free of charge from the IMS website (please see links, opposite or go to "publications" section).