Osama bin Laden used terror to shock and demoralize the American public, to discredit American's strength, and to reduce support for American involvement abroad-and it worked. Part of his success can be attributed to his strategic use of communications. The wrenching visuals of commercial airliners- turned-missiles slamming into the World Trade Center, followed by his pre- recorded videos, and the media coverage of anti-American demonstrations, all served to advance bin Laden's messages. These well-timed, well-placed, and extremely effective messages were designed to exploit our open and ubiquitous news media, with non-stop coverage amplifying the destruction, and increasing the fear.
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