Research suggests that journalists might have some responsibility in popularizing extremist views, even if it is accidental. The research says this can happen by journalists reporting on certain extremist groups and directing the public's attention to them, which exposes the extremist groups' ideas and promotes them depending on the audience.
The publicity that the extremist groups attract from journalist coverage spreads the knowledge of the group and can lead people that have never heard of the group before to develop similar opinions.
The report that published the research findings also suggests ways in which journalists can reduce the amplification of extremist views. It also offers advice on how journalists can better report on extremist groups, change their approaches to reporting so that extremist views due to the media can be minimized and focus on objective news. (Access the full report in the story.)