News,

Media and
War
Coverage
Media Analysis
during times of
war

The Job of the

Media/Journalism

Poll: 70% believe Saddam, 911 link--9/6 2003--that is a

problem
Should journalists report what
the powers tell them
Should they question what they
were told and check it against
other sources?
How far should the media
question the government?
The founding of the government
counted on competing branches
(executive/legislative/judicial)
Should the media be seen as a
competing branch?

Two wars going

on during the
Iraq War

One war on the

ground of Iraq with
troops
The other in the
newsrooms of the
world over what to
show, how to show it
and what not to show
Was it Journalism or
Coverage?
What is the difference
between Journalism
and Coverage?

The Past is Never Past

History of war coverage
Loss of war in Vietnam blamed by US
administration on media
Media was antagonistic and did not believe
what the Government was telling them
They questioned the morality of the war, why
the US was engaged and the policies of
Johnson and Nixon
The previous Gulf War: Media begins to selfcensor
Lacked gore, lacked perspective and history
between the US and Iraq
No mention of US sanctions and the effects

9-11
Causes an outpouring of patriotism
Causes of 9-11 replaced with personal
accounts
Demands for retaliation

Run up to
the war

Administration states it has evidence

that Saddam had weapons of mass
destruction (WMDs)
Media seemed to be unquestioning
and accepting of this evidence
NY TIMES later acknowledges it did
not investigate those claims well
enough
Washington Post: press as a whole
did not do a good job questioning
administration claims
1,617 sources studied.
71% were pro-war, 3% anti war and
the rest divided
Coalition of the willing/coalition for
the drilling
France/Germany called for more
investigations--seen as traitors

Muzzling
Debate

QuickTime and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompress or
are needed to see this picture.

Debate limited,
coverage of world
wide demonstrations
against war was
lacking
Washington Post
admits underreporting or poorly
displaying
demonstration
coverage
Anti-war commercials
wont run on most
networks

Media
Invasion
QuickTime and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are neede d to see this picture.

Rupert Murdoch: Fox

Newspaying roughly 1/2 million
to have access in Iraq before
Invasion
Buying access to Iraqi politicians
Script to how the war was
handled
48 hour countdown
4,000 journalists in Baghdad.
Lived in nice hotels, expense
accounts
Military intimidation of Journalists
War set up to be recorded
News anchors discuss with glee
the use of massive weapons

Pentagon
Media
Management
QuickTime and a
TIFF (Un compressed) decompressor
are neede d to se e this picture.

War plan called for media

management
Markets the war to the US
people
Iraq = problem
US military = solution
Embed journalists with
military
Can an embedded
journalist provide critical
reporting? Should they?

admittance
QuickTime and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompress or
are needed to see this picture.

Training courseto what extent was

that exaggeration a tool to intimidate
Stockholm Syndrome: unarmed
individual among armed people, the
unarmed individual will become
sympathetic to the cause
Where the embedded journalists
werent: where the units that were
truly engaged were not
CNN reporter admits her station self
censored and was intimidated by the
administration
Why werent they critical? Because
they didnt want to get kicked off the
team
Problem: who had the control?

News
business
and Show
business

Dumming down of American

news
Black and white stories, without
colors of grey
Countdown/showdown to war
Little difference
War as exciting
Militainment
Defense department memo: want
to create an action movie feel
All media outlets: ratings and
revenue war was the real issue
Foreign criticism: US presumption
is that politician are telling the
truth about war.
Feel there is a need to gather
alternative sources

On
Message

QuickTime and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.

Information dominancedrove preemptive war

Control over what Americans are
thinking
Daily message orchestrated between
Media center for Iraqbuilt by
Hollywood set
Problem of journalists questioning
authority in Iraqtold to be quiet
False stories: Jessica Lynch story
Hero versus reality
Damage of bombs downplayed
Blackout of Americas use of uranium
BBC: backroom media center-subjects briefers were told to avoid

Toppling of the Saddam Statue

Engineered by Psychological
operations unit in the army, wanted
to seem spontaneous
Mission Accomplished: wanted the
president to look like something out
of top gun
Looting/resistance
Daily attacks on soldiers
Not anticipated by
No WMDs, didnt seem to matter
Abu Ghraib: held up for 2 weeks

The
Post War
War

What does this cartoon mean?

What does the use of the word free mean?

Views from the Arab World

Shows more of the blood and
gore from the attacks
CNN was more about
strategy
Doesnt show civilian
casualties or even US
casualties

Use of White
Phosphorus,
controversial
method during Iraq
fighting

Government Power/Media
Control
Media System dominated by a few
corporations
War as a product
NBC: owned by General Electric who made
nearly 600 million on Iraq War contracts
FCC--Regulates media corporations
Media concentration: process since 1980s

summary
Bush Administration effectively used the
media
The media failed to investigate government
claims
Due to advertising, money and flak filters,
media was less likely to air stories critical of
the war, until the US opinion changes on the
war
Fox News leads the ratings in putting out
patriotic stories, images

News,
Media and
War
Coverage
Media Analysis
during times of
war

The Job of the

Media/Journalism

Poll: 70% believe Saddam, 911 link--9/6 2003--that is a

problem
Should journalists report what
the powers tell them
Should they question what they
were told and check it against
other sources?
How far should the media
question the government?
The founding of the government
counted on competing branches
(executive/legislative/judicial)
Should the media be seen as a
competing branch?

Two wars going

on during the
Iraq War

One war on the

ground of Iraq with
troops
The other in the
newsrooms of the
world over what to
show, how to show it
and what not to show
Was it Journalism or
Coverage?
What is the difference
between Journalism
and Coverage?

The Past is Never Past

History of war coverage
Loss of war in Vietnam blamed by US
administration on media
Media was antagonistic and did not believe
what the Government was telling them
They questioned the morality of the war, why
the US was engaged and the policies of
Johnson and Nixon
The previous Gulf War: Media begins to selfcensor
Lacked gore, lacked perspective and history
between the US and Iraq
No mention of US sanctions and the effects

9-11
Causes an outpouring of patriotism
Causes of 9-11 replaced with personal
accounts
Demands for retaliation

Run up to
the war

Administration states it has evidence

that Saddam had weapons of mass
destruction (WMDs)
Media seemed to be unquestioning
and accepting of this evidence
NY TIMES later acknowledges it did
not investigate those claims well
enough
Washington Post: press as a whole
did not do a good job questioning
administration claims
1,617 sources studied.
71% were pro-war, 3% anti war and
the rest divided
Coalition of the willing/coalition for
the drilling
France/Germany called for more
investigations--seen as traitors

Muzzling
Debate

QuickTime and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompress or
are needed to see this picture.

Debate limited,
coverage of world
wide demonstrations
against war was
lacking
Washington Post
admits underreporting or poorly
displaying
demonstration
coverage
Anti-war commercials
wont run on most
networks

Media
Invasion
QuickTime and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are neede d to see this picture.

Rupert Murdoch: Fox

Newspaying roughly 1/2 million
to have access in Iraq before
Invasion
Buying access to Iraqi politicians
Script to how the war was
handled
48 hour countdown
4,000 journalists in Baghdad.
Lived in nice hotels, expense
accounts
Military intimidation of Journalists
War set up to be recorded
News anchors discuss with glee
the use of massive weapons

Pentagon
Media
Management
QuickTime and a
TIFF (Un compressed) decompressor
are neede d to se e this picture.

War plan called for media

management
Markets the war to the US
people
Iraq = problem
US military = solution
Embed journalists with
military
Can an embedded
journalist provide critical
reporting? Should they?

admittance
QuickTime and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompress or
are needed to see this picture.

Training courseto what extent was

that exaggeration a tool to intimidate
Stockholm Syndrome: unarmed
individual among armed people, the
unarmed individual will become
sympathetic to the cause
Where the embedded journalists
werent: where the units that were
truly engaged were not
CNN reporter admits her station self
censored and was intimidated by the
administration
Why werent they critical? Because
they didnt want to get kicked off the
team
Problem: who had the control?

News
business
and Show
business

Dumming down of American

news
Black and white stories, without
colors of grey
Countdown/showdown to war
Little difference
War as exciting
Militainment
Defense department memo: want
to create an action movie feel
All media outlets: ratings and
revenue war was the real issue
Foreign criticism: US presumption
is that politician are telling the
truth about war.
Feel there is a need to gather
alternative sources

On
Message

QuickTime and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.

Information dominancedrove preemptive war

Control over what Americans are
thinking
Daily message orchestrated between
Media center for Iraqbuilt by
Hollywood set
Problem of journalists questioning
authority in Iraqtold to be quiet
False stories: Jessica Lynch story
Hero versus reality
Damage of bombs downplayed
Blackout of Americas use of uranium
BBC: backroom media center-subjects briefers were told to avoid

Toppling of the Saddam Statue

Engineered by Psychological
operations unit in the army, wanted
to seem spontaneous
Mission Accomplished: wanted the
president to look like something out
of top gun
Looting/resistance
Daily attacks on soldiers
Not anticipated by
No WMDs, didnt seem to matter
Abu Ghraib: held up for 2 weeks

The
Post War
War

What does this cartoon mean?

What does the use of the word free mean?

Views from the Arab World

Shows more of the blood and
gore from the attacks
CNN was more about
strategy
Doesnt show civilian
casualties or even US
casualties

Use of White
Phosphorus,
controversial
method during Iraq
fighting

Government Power/Media
Control
Media System dominated by a few
corporations
War as a product
NBC: owned by General Electric who made
nearly 600 million on Iraq War contracts
FCC--Regulates media corporations
Media concentration: process since 1980s

summary
Bush Administration effectively used the
media
The media failed to investigate government
claims
Due to advertising, money and flak filters,
media was less likely to air stories critical of
the war, until the US opinion changes on the
war
Fox News leads the ratings in putting out
patriotic stories, images