The Spectacle of Terror: How Media Coverage of Hijackings Forever Changed Aviation Security
The deliberate destruction of three aircraft before rolling cameras in 1970 marked not just a terrorist act, but the birth of performative violence designed for global consumption.
The Dawson’s Field Hijackings: A Turning Point
In September 1970, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) orchestrated what would become known as the Dawson’s Field hijackings, simultaneously commandeering multiple international flights and diverting them to a remote airstrip in Jordan. The coordinated operation targeted aircraft from TWA, Swissair, and BOAC, holding hundreds of passengers hostage in a dramatic standoff that captivated global attention. After releasing the hostages, the PFLP made a calculated decision that would reverberate through history: they destroyed the empty aircraft in front of assembled international media on September 12, 1970.
The Birth of Telegenic Terrorism
The images of exploding aircraft broadcast around the world represented a watershed moment in both terrorism and media coverage. For the first time, a terrorist organization had choreographed violence specifically for television cameras, understanding that the psychological impact of such imagery would far exceed the material damage. The PFLP’s media strategy proved devastatingly effective – the shocking visuals dominated international headlines and brought the Palestinian cause to global attention, albeit through methods that horrified viewers and governments alike.
This event fundamentally altered how both terrorists and governments approached aviation security. The spectacle demonstrated that aircraft were not merely transportation vessels but potent symbols of national pride and international connectivity. The vulnerability exposed by these hijackings prompted an immediate and radical overhaul of airport security protocols worldwide, introducing measures that evolved into today’s comprehensive screening systems.
Legacy of Fear and Security Theater
The Dawson’s Field incident established a template that would haunt aviation for decades. It showed terrorist organizations that aircraft hijackings could serve as both practical operations and propaganda tools, leading to a surge in similar incidents throughout the 1970s and beyond. The aviation industry, forced to balance accessibility with security, began implementing increasingly stringent measures that fundamentally changed the passenger experience.
More profoundly, the event marked the beginning of terrorism as performance art – violence staged not just for its immediate impact but for its media afterlife. This transformation has only accelerated in the digital age, where terrorist groups from Al-Qaeda to ISIS have embraced sophisticated media strategies to amplify their actions through global communications networks.
As we reflect on this pivotal moment over five decades later, we must ask: has our response to telegenic terrorism – with its endless security queues, surveillance systems, and climate of perpetual vigilance – given these early perpetrators exactly the lasting victory they sought?
