Journalism, Gender and Race

The western media defines terrorism as the systematic use of violence to instill fear among people in order to achieve political goals. It is mainly practiced by political groupings or organization. This is mainly done informally by nationalistic or religious groups referred to as revolutionaries. They have objectives which are rightist or leftist and sometimes operate as intelligence services but mainly operate as non state agents.  All political violence cannot be regarded as terrorism. The perpetrators identity should not be the only reason to level acts of political violence as terrorism (Herman 69).

It is alternatively defined as the use of force unlawfully, to intimidate societies or governments because of ideological, religious or political reasons or differences. Fundamentally, violence caused by terrorism is different from other forms of violence. Countering it requires tactics that are beyond the simple police techniques or normal physical security apparatus.  Concerns by terrorists are bigger and more ambitious mostly targeting to change the manner or order in which certain activities are carried out without pecuniary gains and not bothering to know what happens to economic or political relationships after their actions. Religious motivations and social issues are the biggest contributors of terrorist ideologies (Herman 65).

It is also defined as criminal acts meant to provoke a state of terror in groups of persons, the general public because of philosophical, ideological or ethnic reasons.  In some societies, the people being referred as terrorists are given a positive title (freedom fighter). The west has been the victim in most of the terrorist activities in the past. They mainly use propaganda as a means of persuading people around the world to support their activities (Herman 67).

The western countries try as much as possible to adhere to civilized codes of behavior but uses force to avoid repression or promote democracy in parts of the world where those seen as being behind terrorism originate from. Some of those regions or countries have never had functional governments for a long time.  Terrorists have no limits and operate internationally for as long as their objectives or messages of intimidation or any other aim is achieved.