In 1978, the CIA reported 3,336 acts of terrorism, after which definitions of terrorism expanded, and in 1980, the number rose to 6,714. When CIA director William Casey expanded definitions to include actions taken by the Soviets, statistics of international terrorism incidents doubled. Although between 1980 and 1985, only seventeen deaths had been attributed to terrorist violence worldwide, New York Times’ coverage of terrorism increased 60% and by 1986, the paper published an average of four stories per day on the topic.
