Westminster attack: The media’s ‘terror’ template
The attack in Westminster saw British media revert to a familiar template. Plus, Romania’s media challenges politicians.
On The Listening Post this week: The attack in Westminster saw British media revert to a familiar template. We dissect that coverage. Plus, corrupt politicians versus corrupted media in Romania.
Westminster Attack: The media’s “terror” template
From breaking news to a familiar story: A deadly attack at the gates of the UK parliament has the news media reaching for well-worn templates and the government calling for greater powers of surveillance.
Contributors:
Maya Goodfellow, columnist, media diversified
Rachel Shabi, journalist and author
Thomas Hughes, executive director, Article 19
Tahir Abbas, senior research fellow, Royal United Services Institute
On Our Radar
• Governments in Moscow and Minsk seemed to be on the same page when dealing with political demonstrations in the two countries – and contending with the journalists covering them.
• Journalists take to the streets in Mexico to protest a climate of impunity for journalist murders, after a third reporter is killed in a month.
• Three years since the Thai military ousted the civilian government and took over the reins of the country, it’s tightening the screws on dissent, suspending a TV channel for what it deems “biased and unfair reporting”.
Corruption in Romania’s media
Is media in Romania caught in a conflict of interest when reporting the country’s top news story?
Contributors:
Andreea Cretulescu, presenter, Romania TV
Mirela Neag, investigative reporter, Gazeta Sportului
Cristian Pantazi, editor, HotNews.ro
Razvan Martin, media freedom advocate, ActiveWatch