Mark Rowley tells police and media relations conference that terrorists use events to ‘radicalise and influence’
Britain’s top counterterrorism officers have urged the media to rein back on coverage about Islamic State and terrorist attacks because of concerns that it helps to spread propaganda.
Mark Rowley, the assistant commissioner at the Metropolitan police, said a “fine balance” was needed in coverage of terrorism because Isis tries to use events as propaganda to “radicalise and influence”.
Speaking at the Society of Editors conference in Cambridge, Rowley said: “I do think there are some ways that you can rein back what you do. There is a fine balance. If [Isis] are looking to influence, you have to ask, are you helping them to influence.”
Cressida Dick, the Met commissioner and Britain’s most senior police officer, also called for calm when covering terrorist attacks.
“You must inform but not glorify and provide the platform this evil craves,” she said. “You must investigate but not in a dangerous way which disrupts the extensive efforts of the police and security services. You must comment but not in a way that creates excessive fear and multiplies the terror.”
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