This document analyzes how criminal subjects are constructed discursively in mainstream U.S. media, specifically in the context of the "war on terror". It examines three recent events - the 2015 Charlie Hebdo shooting in Paris, the 2015 Chapel Hill shooting of three Muslim students, and the 2015 Germanwings plane crash - and how the media framed the causes and criminals differently. While the Charlie Hebdo shooting was labeled an act of "terrorism" committed by "terrorists", the other two events were portrayed as resulting from a "parking dispute" and "depression" rather than politically motivated attacks. The document argues this type of differential framing and language usage, especially the overuse of the word

1. Criminal subjects in the U.S. corporate
media in the context of the “war on terror”
Robert Beshara

2. What images or words come to your mind when
you hear or read the following word?
TERRORIST

3. Terrorist Attacks on U.S. Soil by Group,
From 1980 to 2005, According to FBI Database
(Danios, 2010)

4. Muslims ≠ Terrorists
(The Daily Dish, 2010)

5. Terrorism as a problem
in the 21st
century
• Practical dimension: how we deal with the
problem: counter-terrorism (e.g., military
intervention), foreign policy, diplomacy, etc.
• Theoretical dimension: how we conceive of and
talk about the problem: alternative discourses
and solutions (e.g., conflict resolution), etc.
– Let us look at 3 examples from recent events to see
how the criminal as a subject is constructed
discursively in the mainstream U.S. media (e.g., The
New York Times).

6. The problem of definition
• “Despite intra-field debate, most North American
scholars adopt the three-prong definition of
terrorism: it is politically motivated,
perpetrated by non-state actors like lone wolves
or organizations, and targets civilians rather than
the military.
• […] Words, the DNA of language, can be
exercised to change the way we feel. Steven
Pinker says a ‘taboo word’ [like the t-word] may
be used instrumentally to trigger an emotional
response [like fear]” (Chenoweth, 2013, my
emphasis).

7. Terrorists Strike Charlie Hebdo
Newspaper in Paris, Leaving 12 Dead

8. Chapel Hill Shooting Leaves 3 Muslim
Students Dead; Neighbor Is Charged

9. Germanwings Crash in French Alps Kills
150; Cockpit Voice Recorder is Found

10. Charlie Hebdo shooting
• Date: 01/07/15.
• Crime: 12 people killed.
• Cause of crime in the media: “Terrorism.”

11. Criminals: Cherif Kouachi and Said Kouachi.

12. Chapel Hill shooting
• Date: 02/10/15.
• Crime: 3 people killed.
• Cause of crime in the media: “parking
dispute.”

13. Criminal: Craig Stephen Hicks.

14. Germanwings Flight 9525
• Date: 03/24/15.
• Crime: 150 people killed.
• Cause of crime in the media: “depression.”

15. Criminal: Andreas Lubitz.

16. So who is a terrorist?
And why is he a dehumanized criminal?
• Both Craig Hicks and Andreas Lubitz were non-state actors who
targeted civilians, but were their actions politically motivated?
Arguing over intentionality is tricky!
• In the case of the Kouachi brothers, their actions are considered
politically motivated because Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula
(AQAP) claimed responsibility for the Charlie Hebdo attack.
• The Kouachi brothers certainly committed a heinous crime, but in
the news we hardly hear about the fact that they grew up
marginalized as French citizens, being the children of Algerian
immigrants. No crime is justified, but we have a responsibility to
understand criminals if we are to stop or reduce ‘crimes against
humanity’.
• Unfortunately, the repeated and calculated use of the t-word in
the mass media, particularly in the West in the post-9/11 era,
functions in many cases in such a way as to dehumanize certain
criminals in order to make the public excessively fear Muslims in
general as monstrous others. This media propaganda can and does
result in stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination—and maybe
even worse things.

17. Conclusion
A “white” non-Muslim individual committing a
crime similar to that enacted by a “non-white”
Muslim other is NOT a terrorist, but a
mentally ill person or, perhaps, a neighbor
arguing over a “parking dispute.”
?

18. References
Bilefsky, D., & Baume, M. (2015, January 7). Terrorists strike Charlie Hebdo newspaper in Paris, leaving
12 dead. The New York Times. Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/08/world/europe/charlie-hebdo-paris-shooting.html?_r=0
Chenoweth, E. (2013, May 28). Why Defining Terrorism Matters [Web log post]. Retrieved from
http://themonkeycage.org/2013/05/28/why-defining-terrorism-matters/
Clark, N., & Bilefsky, D. (2015, March 24). Germanwings crash in French Alps kills 150; cockpit voice
recorder is found. The New York Times. Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/25/world/europe/germanwings-crash.html
Danios. (2010, January 20). All terrorists are Muslims...Except the 94% that aren't [Web log post].
Retrieved from http://www.loonwatch.com/2010/01/not-all-terrorists-are-muslims/
Katz, J., & Pérez-Peña, R. (2015, February 11). In Chapel Hill shooting of 3 Muslims, a question of
motive. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/12/us/muslim-
student-shootings-north-carolina.html
The Daily Dish. (2010, September 16). Chart of the day. The Atlantic. Retrieved from
http://www.theatlantic.com/daily-dish/archive/2010/09/chart-of-the-day/182369/
Town of Chapel Hill. (2015, February 10). Chapel Hill police investigate multiple homicide on
Summerwalk Circle. Retrieved April 8, 2015, from
www.townofchapelhill.org/Home/Components/News/News/8372/