“To Terrorize the Public Mind”: How the British Press Reported the Fenian Dynamite Campaign, 1881–1885

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study examines the coverage in the British print media of the Fenian dynamite campaign of 1881–1885. By examining a selection of the newspaper reporting done in the immediate days following the bomb blasts in urban centers, it can be seen that the press framed the campaign as a dramatic threat to the British people—but one they would overcome, even in the face of a frightening, unpredictable technological innovation that could put civilians in jeopardy. The metropolitan newspapers helped to shape how the British people understood the urban terrorist attacks. The press delivered to their readers vivid details about the novel and extraordinary nature of the dynamite threat, while also framing the shocking news to make their own political message and establish the narrative that even though it was under threat, Britain would triumph and hold fast to its place in the world—and onto its empire.