Osama bin Laden - demonen og helten

Abstract

Historiene som kan fortelles om al-Qaidas første leder, Osama bin Laden, er nær knyttet til de ulike medienes fremstillinger, og selv etter hans død lever bin Ladens motstridende medie-image videre. I dagene etter at han ble drept av amerikanske elitesoldater, dominerte den amerikanske presidentens fremstilling av sitt krigsbytte i vestlige medier. På YouTube figurerer bin Laden i ulike audiovisuelle nekrologer der han hylles av al-Qaidas tilhengere. I disse forskjellige mediene fremtrer demonen og helten. Gjennom disse fremstillingene belyser artikkelen spørsmålet om hvem bin Laden var, og sier noe om de ulike fremstillingenes funksjoner.

The stories that may be told about al-Qaeda’s first leader, Osama bin Laden, are closely connected to the different media’s portrayals of him, and bin Laden’s conflicting media image is maintained even after his death. In the few weeks after he was killed by American soldiers President Barack Obama’s portrayal of his trophy of war prevailed in the Western media. On YouTube bin Laden figures in different audio visual obituaries where he is paid tribute to by al-Qaida’s supporters. In these different media the demon and the hero is portrayed. In this article light is shed on the question of who Osama bin Laden was through the different media portrayals of him.