It’s different: IS changes propaganda technique with new hostages

The latest Islamic State hostage drama involving a veteran Japanese war correspondent and a young Jordanian pilot marks the first time the group has publicly demanded prisoner releases. It also signals a change in the extremist group’s propaganda technique. Far from the high-tech, slickly edited videos, recent messages purporting to be from Japanese hostage Kenji Goto have been through digitized, audio dispatches featuring either still photos or text. The messages have raised questions on why the group was changing tactics, resorting instead to what appeared to be unprofessional rush jobs.

This is typical in hostage situations like this where videos are being produced at a rapid pace in response to unpredictable events.

Ben Venzke, CEO of IntelCenter, a company that provides counter-terrorism intelligence

Some experts said the changes may be a reflection that the group is feeling squeezed. U.S. officials say thousands of Islamic State militants have been killed in both Syria and Iraq. The group is also being squeezed online, where companies are actively trying to remove the group’s gruesome videos and close down their Twitter accounts.

The Islamic State has and continues to grow one of the most sophisticated video production efforts by any jihadi group. It is unmatched in sheer volume and speed.

Ben Venzke

World kenji goto