I was wondering why the media kept referring to radicalization as opposed to brainwashing

[apples and oranges]

Just in case I'm not the only person who was confused, here is an interesting explanation:

Radicalization, especially violent radicalization, is the process of converting an individual of normal beliefs into an individual who believes and follows an extreme ideology and feels justified in taking extreme actions, such as breaking the law, committing acts of violence or assisting in such acts, in order to obtain a goal related to their beliefs. When the term radicalization is used in the current global environment, it is usually used in the context of extreme religious beliefs (e.g., "Islamic fundamentalists/radicals&quot ; however, an individual can also develop radical nonreligious political beliefs, as occurs in protests to G7 Economic Summits or occurred in the famous case of Patty Hearst, who was abducted by the Symbionese Liberation Army (a radical political group) and "brainwashed" into adopting their radical political beliefs and terrorist (bank robbery) tactics.

Radicalization can occur through many different pathways.

In other words, brainwashing is one of many techniques that can be used to radicalize someone; however, brainwashing is not required or used in every case.

[ZombieHorde]

1. One of my professors said the existence brainwashing was controversial.

I guess some to many psychologists and sociologists don't believe people are actually "brainwashed," they're just convinced of something else, which is fairly common place, and this is why the US doesn't have de-brainwashing clinics like we used to in the 1980s.