The role of media in combating terrorism

Irina Yesipova, CEO of the International Centre for the Development of Communication The problem of terrorism, as always, is very relevant. And the most important thing in this direction is to make sure that the information is given to the entire population and to the public correctly and at the right time for it. Nikolai Sintsov, representative of the Office of the National Anti-Terror Committee We live in a period of rapid development of the means of mass communications, allowing easily and almost instantaneously, as they say, on-line, access to information of interest to us, information of any orientation. Modern technology and changes in the political system are now changing the nature of the relationship between the journalistic community and the state. At the end of the last century, it seemed that the development of the country was going in the direction of unlimited freedom of information, despite the existing state borders. However, the beginning of the new century has shown that modern society is not a place of information dissemination free from all sorts of restrictions. In this regard, it is important to realize that the modern world is characterized by acute rivalry between states over access to vital resources, which often leads to armed conflicts, and terrorism is used as a means to achieve strategic objectives. Against the backdrop of geopolitical changes, the problem of destructive information-psychological influence on cultural identity has become particularly acute, as well as the spiritual and moral values of our society, especially the most vulnerable part of it - the youth. The puppets in the hands of the ideologues of religious and political extremism and terrorism, the members of bandit groups, seek to use the channels of mass media to disseminate their views and information on their criminal activities. Moreover, they aim not only to achieve coverage of their actions, but also to get youth recognition of their legitimacy and the morality of their actions, attracting new followers. Indeed, the influence exerted by means of mass communications, especially the internet, on the younger generation, can now be called a key, and the terrorists are trying to actively use it, carrying out gang activity. Young people poorly-versed in the media space are not always able to assess the information thus imposed and become an object of manipulation. Due to their unformed position in life, teenage nihilism and the desire for self-fulfilment, young people are targeted for using a surrogate mixture of radical slogans, distorted historical facts and religious speculation. The particular danger of terrorist ideology is that the speculative part of its declared values matches universal values, such as the rejection of drug addiction, alcoholism, smoking, corruption, etc. History has shown that only highly moral and patriotic young people can keep and increase the achievements of previous generations. By contrast, people who do not observe moral principles, who are cut off from their cultural and historical roots, may lose everything produced by their fathers and grandfathers. Along with government agencies and educational institutions, an extremely important role in the education of young people, as I have said, belongs to the media. The media, and in recent years the internet, are a powerful tool for shaping public opinion, the attitude of the younger generation. And the fate of our country depends on how it will impact on them. Patriotic education must be based on the cultural and historical traditions of the multi-ethnic Russian state. The work of explaining the origins and driving forces of terrorism, the extreme danger of its ideology not only for the present but also for future generations, is immeasurably important. At the same time, I support the position that the present generation is not responsible for the results of the historical processes and events, the distorted view of which is used by the anti-Russian forces for spreading in society - particularly among young people - ethnic, religious and territorial splits. Preventing the disintegration of youth is one of the ways of protecting our society from the spread of terrorist ideology, to form a persistent rejection of radicalism in any of its manifestations. I consider it very important to draw your attention to the balance between the activities of the state to ensure safe conditions for the development of production and humanities and the principles of freedom to receive and disseminate information. This balance, this happy medium, must be respected by all the media without exception - from the editor to the ordinary journalist.