Iraq: First ‘Media’ War for U.S.

Updated 2-20-08

Nationalism and News

Media unlimited: Citizen access to information expands beyond news services, newspapers, magazines, network television – even beyond CNN (Gulf War)

New challenges for journalists; new sources/viewpoints for citizens

Twentieth-century U.S. news outlets: Newspapers, news services (Associated Press), three-network television (ABC, CBS, NBC)

Cable/satellite news channels: CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, Pentagon Channel

Internet

News websites: Directly or through aggregators (Yahoo, Google)

YouTube: The Military Channel

Magazines and blogs: Michael Yon Colby Buzzell Riverbend: Girl Blog from Iraq Kevin Sites: Hot Zone Coverage, Slate

Alternative viewpoints

Al-Jazeera, BBC

(U.K. Report: Bush threatened to bomb Al-Jazeera, Reaction in Middle East)

Research studies of U.S. War coverage

Widespread self-censorship (2004)

Surge dominates coverage (2007)

The embedded experience

(2003)Stories detailed, but offer little context

(2006) Fewer journalists embedded

Public Opinion Research

Declining public support or interest in the Iraq war (2007)

http://people-press.org/commentary/display.php3?AnalysisID=126

http://pewresearch.org/pubs/642/public-sees-progress-in-war-effort

http://pewresearch.org/pubs/668/gas-prices-disasters-top-news-interest-in-2007

Revival of isolationism similar to post-Vietnam era

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/18/national/18pew.html?_r=1&scp=5&sq=Meg+Bortin&st=nyt&oref=slogin