Terrorist attacks equate to natural disasters as the best sort of media story – after war. It is therefore very important to be realistic about these extremes, which don’t take place very often, and actually, only endanger those directly involved…
However, it’s also important to understand that terrorist acts, although included in the list of best media disaster stories, are actually very much less dangerous than other sorts of disaster; and that natural disasters are far, far more dangerous than anything devised by Man.
Terrorism is designed to terrify people, through something dreadful happening to people in the most public manner possible. The numbers involved are usually small, but part of planning the attack is to ensure that the media will cover it, ensuring maximum impact. The underlying terrorist aim is usually to demonstrate the powerlessness of the government.