1 / 24

Media & War

Media & War. What is the function of news in society?. First Amendment. Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press . . . News media as the “Fourth Estate” News media as a watchdog. Ideally, news is:. Objective Fair Balanced. War can change that.

elam
Download Presentation

Media & War

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Media & War

  2. What is the function of news in society?

  3. First Amendment Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press . . . News media as the “Fourth Estate” News media as a watchdog

  4. Ideally, news is: • Objective • Fair • Balanced

  5. War can change that

  6. The fall of the Saddam statue

  7. The fall of the Saddam statue

  8. Why do the media do this? • Are they mouthpieces for the government? • Or is it simply the best picture?

  9. The Media & War Giving the public what it needs to know Versus Meeting needs of the gov./military “Public opinion wins wars” Eisenhower

  10. The Media & War World War II & Korea • “On the same team” • Official censorship

  11. Vietnam • No official censorship • First TV war • Critical media • Led to greater restrictions in later conflicts/wars

  12. Beginning with Grenada • Reporters excluded • Led to creation of press “pools”

  13. Gulf War I • Severe press restrictions (pools) • Censorship of stories & film • Dependence on military briefings • Perception of a “bloodless war” • “Trampled on the public’s right to know” - Walter Cronkite

  14. Afghanistan • Tight control of media • Lack of access • Suppression of information

  15. War in Iraq • Embedded journalists • Reporters assigned to military units • Experience war first-hand

  16. “Unilaterals” • Some journalists chose to travel w/out military escorts • Frowned on by military • A more dangerous assignment

  17. Benefits of embedding • Journalists get generally unlimited access to soldiers • Audience gets to see the war “up close and personal” • Pentagon gets numerous human-interest stories

  18. Drawbacks of embedding • Journalists get a very limited view of the war • Journalists may lose objectivity • Audience gets only bits & pieces of info • Lack of context can be misleading • Pentagon gets more human-interest stories than critical reporting on the war

  19. Embedded with the military? • Or "in bed" with the military?

  20. 24-hour cable news • “A voracious beast that must be fed” • Air time often filled with speculation • Rush to be the first leads to misinformation

  21. Economics of war news • Foreign reporting very expensive • Early coverage often commercial-free • Profit imperative leads to sensationalism to attract & keep audience • Afraid to alienate audience

  22. Covering War is a Balancing Act • There is always tension between military and media in war time • How much does the public have a right to know? • How much does the government have an obligation to tell?

  23. The “fog of war” • “The first casualty of war is truth”

  24. Al Jazeera • "Contextual objectivity" • Is it worse than American media?

More Related