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Unpacking cyberterrorism discourse: Specificity, status, and scale in news media constructions of threat

Lee Jarvis, Stuart Macdonald Orcid Logo, Andrew Whiting

European Journal of International Security, Volume: 2, Issue: 1, Pages: 64 - 87

Swansea University Author: Stuart Macdonald Orcid Logo

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DOI (Published version): 10.1017/eis.2016.14

Abstract

This article explores original empirical findings from a research project investigating representations of cyberterrorism in the international news media. Drawing on a sample of 535 items published by 31 outlets between 2008 and 2013, it focuses on four questions. First, how individuated a presence...

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Published in: European Journal of International Security
ISSN: 2057-5645
Published: 2017
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa28965
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first_indexed 2016-06-20T18:23:55Z
last_indexed 2023-01-11T14:01:43Z
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spelling 2023-01-03T16:05:47.4961610 v2 28965 2016-06-20 Unpacking cyberterrorism discourse: Specificity, status, and scale in news media constructions of threat 933e714a4cc37c3ac12d4edc277f8f98 0000-0002-7483-9023 Stuart Macdonald Stuart Macdonald true false 2016-06-20 LAWD This article explores original empirical findings from a research project investigating representations of cyberterrorism in the international news media. Drawing on a sample of 535 items published by 31 outlets between 2008 and 2013, it focuses on four questions. First, how individuated a presence is cyberterrorism given within news media coverage? Second, how significant a threat is cyberterrorism deemed to pose? Third, how is the identity of ‘cyberterrorists’ portrayed? And, fourth, who or what is identified as the referent – that which is threatened – within this coverage? The article argues that constructions of specificity, status and scale play an important, yet hitherto under-explored, role within articulations of concern about the threat posed by cyberterrorism. Moreover, unpacking news coverage of cyberterrorism in this way leads to a more variegated picture than that of the vague and hyperbolic media discourse often identified by critics. The article concludes by pointing to several promising future research agendas to build on this work. Journal Article European Journal of International Security 2 1 64 87 2057-5645 Cyberterrorism; Discourse; Media; Construction; Threat 1 2 2017 2017-02-01 10.1017/eis.2016.14 https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/european-journal-of-international-security/article/div-classtitleunpacking-cyberterrorism-discourse-specificity-status-and-scale-in-news-media-constructions-of-threatdiv/B68F6B8FD15E2200A5B1C159FA480210 COLLEGE NANME Law COLLEGE CODE LAWD Swansea University 2023-01-03T16:05:47.4961610 2016-06-20T13:17:54.9176220 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Hilary Rodham Clinton School of Law Lee Jarvis 1 Stuart Macdonald 0000-0002-7483-9023 2 Andrew Whiting 3 0028965-05072016134910.pdf Cronfav41.pdf 2016-07-05T13:49:10.3700000 Output 443635 application/pdf Accepted Manuscript true 2016-07-05T00:00:00.0000000 true
title Unpacking cyberterrorism discourse: Specificity, status, and scale in news media constructions of threat
spellingShingle Unpacking cyberterrorism discourse: Specificity, status, and scale in news media constructions of threat
Stuart Macdonald
title_short Unpacking cyberterrorism discourse: Specificity, status, and scale in news media constructions of threat
title_full Unpacking cyberterrorism discourse: Specificity, status, and scale in news media constructions of threat
title_fullStr Unpacking cyberterrorism discourse: Specificity, status, and scale in news media constructions of threat
title_full_unstemmed Unpacking cyberterrorism discourse: Specificity, status, and scale in news media constructions of threat
title_sort Unpacking cyberterrorism discourse: Specificity, status, and scale in news media constructions of threat
author_id_str_mv 933e714a4cc37c3ac12d4edc277f8f98
author_id_fullname_str_mv 933e714a4cc37c3ac12d4edc277f8f98_***_Stuart Macdonald
author Stuart Macdonald
author2 Lee Jarvis
Stuart Macdonald
Andrew Whiting
format Journal article
container_title European Journal of International Security
container_volume 2
container_issue 1
container_start_page 64
publishDate 2017
institution Swansea University
issn 2057-5645
doi_str_mv 10.1017/eis.2016.14
college_str Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
department_str Hilary Rodham Clinton School of Law{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences{{{_:::_}}}Hilary Rodham Clinton School of Law
url https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/european-journal-of-international-security/article/div-classtitleunpacking-cyberterrorism-discourse-specificity-status-and-scale-in-news-media-constructions-of-threatdiv/B68F6B8FD15E2200A5B1C159FA480210
document_store_str 1
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description This article explores original empirical findings from a research project investigating representations of cyberterrorism in the international news media. Drawing on a sample of 535 items published by 31 outlets between 2008 and 2013, it focuses on four questions. First, how individuated a presence is cyberterrorism given within news media coverage? Second, how significant a threat is cyberterrorism deemed to pose? Third, how is the identity of ‘cyberterrorists’ portrayed? And, fourth, who or what is identified as the referent – that which is threatened – within this coverage? The article argues that constructions of specificity, status and scale play an important, yet hitherto under-explored, role within articulations of concern about the threat posed by cyberterrorism. Moreover, unpacking news coverage of cyberterrorism in this way leads to a more variegated picture than that of the vague and hyperbolic media discourse often identified by critics. The article concludes by pointing to several promising future research agendas to build on this work.
published_date 2017-02-01T03:35:19Z
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score 11.017731