PENTAGON MANAGEMENT OF MEDIA COVERAGE.   Term Paper ID:29527 Click to get this paper

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Paper Abstract: Discusses relationship between the military, wartime policymakers and the mass media. Roots in the Vietnam War. Hostility created in military officers. Management of the media in the 1990-91 Persian Gulf War. Emergence of CNN as a major news outlet. Satire of media on "Saturday Night Live" episode. War in Afghanistan. Reduction of role of media by Pentagon management. Paper Introduction: The Media in the First Gulf War ... and the Second The modern relationship between the military, wartime policymakers, and the mass media has its roots in the Vietnam War of the 1960s and 1970s. Military officers came out of the war with a deep hostility of the media, which unlike the case in earlier wars had been seen as hostile (Belknap, 2002). During the Persian Gulf War buildup and the war itself, in 1990-91, the Pentagon was determined to restrict and "manage" the media, even though media technology (such as satellite television) had expanded enormously since the Vietnam era. Perhaps the most striking media episode of the Gulf War involved not a news broadcast but the satirical variety show "Saturday Night Live." During the leadup to the war, the show ran a s Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. 5 -55. (2 2). References Belknap, Margaret H. The Gulf War also marked the emergence of CNN as a major media newsoutlook, with a standing equal to that of the traditional broadcast networknews divisions. This will almost certainly be the case in anyprospective war against Iraq as well. Fewjournalists were allowed to accompany US forces into the country, and noneaccompanied the troops. Required by public-service regulations, theyserved the networks mainly as prestige emblems - CBS was the "Tiffanynetwork" not because of its prime-time programming but because of newsfigures like Ed Murrow and Walter Cronkite. It has alsobeen challenged by other cable news networks, particularly the unabashedlytabloid-like Fox. Parameters (Autumn), pp. (It is perhaps a flukish coincidence, but a useful one forCNN, that this show is anchored by Wolf Blitzer, whose name is perfectlysuited to war as dramatic miniseries.) Given this commercial dynamic, cable-news coverage of the policydebate toward Iraq may well have been slanted toward the pro-war argument.If they may likewise find it in their interest to present a militarycampaign in positive terms. So great was its influence through the 199 s that the phrase "CNN effect"has come into use to express the impact of 24-hour news coverage onpolicymaking (Fashot, 2 1, p. For this reason, plausible grounds exist for a suspicion that theyhave a vested interest in a war with Iraq. An hour of CNN's morning news has been re-christened "Showdown: Iraq," complete with suitably dramatic theme musicand graphics. The Public's Need to Know, Case V: ThePentagon's Control of Information About the War in Afghanistan. What happens after the military phase of a waris on the other hand much less likely to be covered at all, just asAfghanistan has largely vanished from the media radar. During the Persian Gulf War buildup and the war itself, in 199 -91,the Pentagon was determined to restrict and "manage" the media, even thoughmedia technology (such as satellite television) had expanded enormouslysince the Vietnam era. The media, reducedby public contempt and Pentagon management to the role of cheerleaderduring war, will be simply invisible in the aftermath of war. Thisentertainment-media event was seminal in setting the modern parameters ofwartime coverage. Even in a crisis it becamecustomary to "parachute" in high-visibility anchors instead of featuringless well-known foreign correspondents who had familiarity with the region. Some 4 journalists were permitted on Navy shipssupporting the operation, but these were far from the action (CenturyFoundation, 2 2, p. Theskit's sympathies were clearly with the military briefers, called on byshowboating reporters to answer questions that ranged from the uninformedto the preposterous. In the last few years, however, CNN also has lost its special status. and the Second The modern relationship between the military, wartime policymakers,and the mass media has its roots in the Vietnam War of the 196 s and 197 s. Perhaps the most striking media episode of the Gulf War involved nota news broadcast but the satirical variety show "Saturday Night Live."During the leadup to the war, the show ran a skit based on the daily pressbriefings in Saudi Arabia (Belknap, 2 2, p. Policy Options (January-February), pp. The thinking of the cablenetworks has been clearly expressed in their programming decisions, evenbefore the outbreak of war. The media in general are highly market-sensitive, asshown by their glowing treatment of President Bush, once his poll ratingssoared after the September 11 attacks (Singh, 2 2, p. Coverage of actual events, as opposed to officialbriefings, was thus minimal. 1 -114. The skit and its reception, however, indicated that in the Gulf Warthis audience's cynicism was mainly directed against the press itself. The Media Dimension in Foreign Interventions. The cast membersplaying reporters asked absurd questions, on the order of "Could you giveus your precise battle plan for attacking the Iraqis," or "What is the onething that, if revealed, would completely destroy coalition morale?" This skit confirmed the White House and Pentagon in their view thatthey were free to aggressively manage the press without fear of a publicbacklash. 52). Military officers came out of the war with a deep hostility of the media,which unlike the case in earlier wars had been seen as hostile (Belknap,2 2). CenturyFoundation Homeland Security Project. Singh, Ramindar (2 2). Sold to AOL-Time-Warner, it is no longer a prestige vehicle for founderTed Turner; its focus is more on the corporate bottom line. Overseas bureaus were closed, since foreignnews drew low ratings save in a crisis. The Media in the First Gulf War ... 1). Covering September 11 and Its Consequences:A Comparative Study of the Press in America, India, and Pakistan.Shorenstein Center, Harvard University.----------------------- 5 1 6). The CNN Effect: Strategic Enabler orOperational Risk? "Saturday Night Live" was aimed at a prominently younger, urban,and sophisticated demographic - just the group which, in the Vietnam era,had been most disposed toward suspicion of official war pronouncements. All of the cable news networks' ratings tend to spike up in a time ofcrisis. As this tradition faded, network news divisions became more attunedto the financial bottom line. Fashot, Morand (2 1). 4). If this was perspective of the "Saturday Night Live"audience, other segments of the public could be expected to be even moresuspicious of the media and more supportive of the military. Century Foundation (2 2). In contrast, CNN, though its overall ratings were far lower than thenetworks', had a highly visible and profitable niche as "the" news network. Events through much of the 199 s tended to strengthen thisreputation. In an earlier era, network news divisions had not beenregarded as profit centers. The ensuing war in Afghanistan followed the Gulf War example. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.

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