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The Media and Operation Iraqi Freedom, 2003. Prof. Phil Taylor Institute of Communications Studies, University of Leeds, UK p.m.taylor@leeds.ac.uk www.leeds.ac.uk/ics/phillink.html. The media as a mirror of official national policy positions. In the US, largely pro-war
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The Media and Operation Iraqi Freedom, 2003 Prof. Phil Taylor Institute of Communications Studies, University of Leeds, UK p.m.taylor@leeds.ac.uk www.leeds.ac.uk/ics/phillink.html
The media as a mirror of official national policy positions • In the US, largely pro-war • In Germany, France and Russia, largely anti-war • In Britain, media were split • In Spain and Italy, media anti-war but Spanish government openly pro-war, Berlusconi silently pro-war
US TV Coverage • 20 March - 9 April, 1617 Iraqi stories examined on 6 evening network news (ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, Fox and PBS) • 64% of sources used were pro-war, 71% of guests were pro-war
International Image of US • Pew Research Centre survey, March 2003, revealed that 35% of Italians viewed US positively, as cf. 70% in 2002 • In Spain, only 14% had favourable image
Embedding the Media • 600 print, radio and TV reporters accompanied the troops • The British reporters ‘pooled’ their copy; US reporters did not • Another 1000 unilaterals; 14 killed • ‘We were looking at the battlefield through 600 straws. It was difficult to contextualize it’ (Paul Slavin, Exec Prod of ABC’s ‘World News Tonight’)