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Communications & Conflict

Communications & Conflict. Lecture 1 War and the Media. Key issues and concepts. Real War vs. ‘Media War’ ‘Illusions of Reality’ The war reporter as mythmaker The impact of television How much can be shown? How much should be shown? The ‘tyranny of real-time’. Real War vs. ‘Media War’.

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Communications & Conflict

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  1. Communications & Conflict Lecture 1 War and the Media

  2. Key issues and concepts • Real War vs. ‘Media War’ • ‘Illusions of Reality’ • The war reporter as mythmaker • The impact of television • How much can be shown? • How much should be shown? • The ‘tyranny of real-time’

  3. Real War vs. ‘Media War’ • Real war is about the brutal nasty business of killing people, punctuated by boredom, often at a distance • The nature of aerial warfare • Media war is about mediation, always at a distance • Perception Gap

  4. Illusions of Reality • Issues of taste and decency • OPSEC and protection of families • The ‘first casualty’ • From ‘the fog of war’ to the ‘snowstorm of information’

  5. The war reporter as mythmaker • Patriotism vs. propaganda • Military management of the media • Military deception • Journalistic compliance – watchdog or lapdog? • Reporting from the ‘other side’ • The ‘journalism of attachment’

  6. The impact of TV • ‘The camera never lies’? • A picture paints a thousand words • Vietnam, 1963-73 • The arrival of colour TV • The arrival of global satellite TV • The arrival of real-time TV

  7. How much can be shown? • Do people want to see ‘real war’ on TV, especially when the kids are watching? • Wars tend to be fought at night or at a distance • Reporters only get an ‘ant’s eye view’ • Do we expect too much from them?

  8. How much should be shown? • Desensitisation and compassion fatigue • Why would/should we want to see ‘real war’? • To protect ourselves or the troops? • Or to shield us from ‘the truth’?

  9. The ‘tyranny of real-time’ • Live TV is exciting but is it accurate? • How is censorship possible anymore? • Cameras are everywhere • The ‘citizen journalist’ • New kids on the block – or blog

  10. Conclusions • The gap between real war and media war is very wide • This is not just due to military management of media but it is also inherent to war reporting • Media reports are the ‘first (rough) drafts of history’

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