An isolated act of terrorism occurs, media organisations report it in a graphic way and politicians make policy-on-the-run that threatens fundamental civil liberties Australians hold dear.

That is the “feedback loop” of terrorism and tyranny described by Adelaide terrorism expert Dr John Bruni in response to revelations the Federal Government plans to introduce a new round of counterterrorism legislation which would allow suspects as young as 14-year-old to be subject to control orders, restricting their movement.

The New South Wales Government has also reportedly urged the Federal Government to pass laws that allow the detention of terrorism suspects for up to 28 days without charge.

Yesterday, the 100-hour detention order granted to police for an 18-year-old Victorian man in relation to last week’s Parramatta shooting was extended a further 68 hours.

According to Bruni, the director of geopolitical risk management think tank SAGE International, an “if it bleeds, it leads” approach to journalism is playing into the hands of international terrorist organisations seeking to radicalise young people.

“The idea that ‘if it bleeds it leads’ … is the very thing that terrorist organisations around the world see as their force multiplier,” he told InDaily this morning.

“We keep on seeing the same news cycle time and time again.

“(Incidents that are) actually small, isolated … become something that affects everyone’s psychology.

He said that news organisations should show “that little bit of self-censorship and not giving the terrorists … what they so desire”.

“We value the ability to communicate these things, but in order to shut these groups down and shut down radicalisation in Australia, the unpopular – and arguably one of the most draconian – thing we could do is self-censorship.

“Every time there is a (terrorist incident) we don’t put that on the front page – that is something that we really ought to start revisiting.

“We’re actually giving them a free kick every time the media process catches up with them.”

He said reportage on terrorism paints politicians into a political corner which results in bad policy-making.

“Ultimately, we pride ourselves on being a democracy, being a free society, and as such we can go about our business unmolested by government,” he told InDaily this morning.

“(However) government is becoming more and more onerous every time there is an incident on Australian shores.

“The media is the oxygen by which these guys create political traction.

“If you want to truly get rid of it, you have to put it to the back page (of a newspaper).

“You can make a small report, saying ‘this incident took place’, but no fanfare, no images, nothing graphic that makes people panic.

“It becomes just a banal, isolated incident, so that for those who want to know, they can still have the knowledge.

“Then politicians don’t have to worry about the trap of policy on the run – because for every isolated incident now (they) are making major statements of policy and reworking the law of the land according to every time someone tries to do something.”