Terrorist PR

"Since Sept. 11, 2001, members of Al Qaeda have released an audio- or videotape about once every six weeks," notes Faye Bowers. In addition, terrorists are using the internet with increasing frequency and skill to influence public opinion and recruit followers. "In an era of satellite television and the World Wide Web," Bowers writes, "it is nearly impossible to stop boutique terror groups - small homegrown cells that can reach mass audiences with just a videocamera and a few stylish graphics." According to Michael Scheuer, a former senior intelligence official who studied Al Qaeda for more than a decade, "Their communications systems are light-years more sophisticated than they were on 9/11."