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Gulf War I— Operation Desert Storm. April 11, 2008. Post Midterm Review. Framing—interpretive schema for analyzing news coverage , what is the nature of the story being told, going beyond simple facts, what is the narrative
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Gulf War I—Operation Desert Storm April 11, 2008
Post Midterm Review • Framing—interpretive schema for analyzing news coverage , what is the nature of the story being told, going beyond simple facts, what is the narrative • Indexing—helps to explain how the media, without direction from government, tends to favor policy positions held by government and newsmaking elites…ex. The Surge • Agenda Setting—theory to explain public opinion and knowledge
Gulf War I—Historical Background • Prior US/Iraq relationship—Rumsfeld meets with Saddam in December 1983 • Proximate Cause—Iraq invades Kuwait or Iraq claims Kuwait is stealing Iraqi oil • Justification for invasion—stabilize oil, stop butchery, defend the peace-loving Kuwaitis • Air campaign precedes ground war—Iraqi Air Force escapes to Iran • We stop short of finishing off the Republican Guard on the road to Baghdad, Highway of Death
Gulf War I Timeline • August 1990—Iraq invades Kuwait, immediate UN condemnation • December 1990—Sadam declares Israel is the first target if war breaks out • January 16, 1991—Desert Storm begins • January 17, 1991—First SCUD hits Israel • January 19, 1991—US sends Patriot missiles to Israel • February 22-25—Iraq set Kuwait oil fields ablaze in retreat Feb 28—it’s over!
Obstacles to Effective Press Coverage in Gulf War I • Briefness of the Fight • Dominance of air war more difficult to cover • Coverage is consciously managed by a system of pool coverage, most reporters cover the war from Saudi Arabia • Motives for censorship include: • high percentage of friendly fire incidents: 23% of the dead and 15% of the wounded caused by “friendly fire” (especially true early in combat) and a vow not to repeat the mistakes of Vietnam
John MacArthur: Second Front • Devastating critique of pool reporting and the spinelessness of major news organizations in opposing it • Hill and Knowlton, planted Congressional testimony, and the myth of trashed incubators • The myth of smart munitions (so you shouldn’t worry about civilian deaths)
A word about test scaling • Why scale exam results? Criterion referenced versus norm referenced grading • Validity issues for new exams • 94-98 A 63-69 C • 88 A- 58-61 C- • 84 B+ 52-54 D • 79-80 B 47 and below F • 74-76 B- • 72-73 C+