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Abstract
Content analysis of two Sydney newspapers' coverage of two recent terrorist events in Australia examined the way Australian media portray domestic terrorism. The findings revealed the existence of Orientalism (Said 1977) in Australian media portrayals of terrorism. This produced an enemy-other frame evident in the portrayal of the offender, the Muslim community and the wider portrayal of domestic terrorism. This enemy-other frame reinforced a national identity of what it means to be Australian. Social expectations concerning employment, economic contribution and values of kindness, loyalty and multiculturalism underlined the expected behaviours of individuals, separating the offenders, and to an extent the broader Muslim community from the collective Australian identity. The results affirm that media coverage of domestic terrorism goes beyond mere reporting of a terrorist event. Rather, the media employs multiple discursive frames to establish context and societal expectations regarding acceptable behaviour, national belonging, criminal justice procedures, and the role of security agencies.
