Media, War & Conflict recent issues

Editors' note

Hoskins, A., Richards, B., Seib, P. — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:02:19 PST

The genocide video

Thompson, A. — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:02:19 PST

Al-Jazeera English and global news networks: clash of civilizations or cross-cultural dialogue?

Powers, S., el-Nawawy, M. — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:02:19 PST

This article examines the role of the global news media in either furthering the balkanization of the global news environment or moving towards a globally connected and engaged aggregation of publics. Drawing on the results of a six-country study of media viewing habits, cultural, political and cognitive dispositions of viewers of Al-Jazeera English in comparison to viewers of CNN International and BBC World, the authors outline two findings: (1) viewers worldwide turn to particular broadcasters to affirm rather than inform their opinions, meaning the global news media are likely to reinforce existing attitudes and stereotypes of cultural ‘others’; and (2) the longer viewers have been watching Al-Jazeera English, the less dogmatic they are in their thinking and thus more open to considering alternative and clashing opinions. The authors conclude by arguing that, when media jettison the principles embodied in ‘war journalism’, broadcasters can indeed have a latent yet substantial impact on fostering cross-cultural understanding and reconciliation.

'The Great Movement to Resist America and Assist Korea': how Beijing sold the Korean War

Rawnsley, G. D. — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:02:19 PST

The Chinese entered the Korean War one year after the creation of the People’s Republic of China. Given the considerable economic, social and political problems facing the new state after decades of foreign occupation and civil war, how did the new Communist Government of China persuade both the people and the military to intervene in a foreign war? Described as the ‘Great Movement to Resist America and Assist Korea’ and an opportunity to ‘Beat American Arrogance’, the propaganda promoted the Korean War as a chance to challenge the US presence in Asia, and project China’s rise as a regional, if not a world power. More important, the propaganda indicates the war was used to strengthen the Communist Party’s domestic support and legitimacy, mobilize the population around the party’s agenda (especially its vision of a ‘new’ China), and help consolidate the party’s authority in the immediate aftermath of the civil war. Focusing primarily on posters, this article chronicles the development of propaganda themes and methods against the background of first Chinese hesitation to enter the Korean War and then acceptance of a prolonged war by the end of the first year.

Media coverage and Israel's 'Four Mothers' antiwar protest: agendas, tactics and political context in movement success

Lieberfeld, D. — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:02:19 PST

This article investigates conditions under which media coverage can enable antiwar protest to influence national security policy. Through a study of ‘Four Mothers — Leaving Lebanon in Peace’, an Israeli group that in the late 1990s protested against that country’s war in southern Lebanon, it demonstrates that: media attention was an essential factor in the group’s formation and development into a national movement; together with features of the political environment, media attention enabled the movement to mobilize public opposition to the war; important elements of the media opposed government policy and were therefore motivated to cover the movement; yet the movement’s ability to attract coverage also derived from its protest strategies and intensive media outreach. The article examines these efforts by movement leaders to increase coverage and the dilemmas that their media strategies posed for activists. The conclusions consider the case’s implications concerning the political efficacy of antiwar movements generally, and particularly those with gendered identities.

CONELRAD on the front line of Cold War defense

Brinson, S. L. — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:02:19 PST

CONELRAD (a contraction of CONtrol of ELectromagnetic RADiation) focused on radio technology for both military and civil defense during the early Cold War years of the 1950s. Conceived as a military defense system into which civil defense needs were incorporated, the civilian aspects were not developed equally. Understood within the context of national security, however, the inequity was the point. CONELRAD contributed to the illusion that a nuclear attack was survivable and helped the Truman and Eisenhower administrations pursue their foreign and military policies without significant public opposition. This article explains the development of CONELRAD and the technical difficulties it faced, and exposes the bureaucratic infighting that was a manifestation of the inherent and mutually exclusive goals of the system.

Book review: Jan Melissen (ed.) The New Public Diplomacy: Soft Power in International Relations Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007. 240 pp. ISBN 978 0 230 53554 1 (pbk)

Thussu, D. — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:02:19 PST

Book review: Stephen Law (ed.) Israel, Palestine and Terror London: Continuum, 2008. 240 pp. ISBN 978 0 82649793 2

Boyd-Barrett, O. — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:02:19 PST

Book review: Alex J. Bellamy Responsibility to Protect: The Global Effort to End Mass Atrocities Cambridge: Polity, 2009. 249 pp. ISBN 978 0 74564348 9 Hugo Slim Killing Civilians: Method, Madness and Morality in War London: Hurst Publications, 2007. 319 pp. ISBN 978 1850659143

Carvin, S. — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:02:19 PST

Book review: Virginia Held How Terrorism Is Wrong: Morality and Political Violence New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. 205 pp. ISBN 978 0 19 532959 9

Stocchetti, M. — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:02:19 PST

Media and the myth of radicalization

Hoskins, A., O'Loughlin, B. — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 06:20:39 PDT

The second casualty: effects of interstate conflict and civil war on press freedom

Vultee, F. — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 06:20:39 PDT

This article builds on recent work that emphasizes the importance of press freedom in restraining international conflict by examining the reverse relationship: whether conflict has an impact on individual nations' levels of press freedom. It finds that, in general, civil wars have a greater negative impact than interstate wars, press systems in democracies are more affected than those in autocracies, and level of conflict is more relevant than the mere presence of conflict.

Don't shoot the messenger: prospects for protecting journalists in conflict situations

Lisosky, J. M., Henrichsen, J. — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 06:20:39 PDT

One of the greatest threats to freedom of expression around the world is the violence committed against journalists practicing their profession in conflict situations. During the last 20 years, an alarming number of journalists have been targeted or killed when reporting about war. This situation has prompted several international organizations to offer suggestions on how to protect the messengers who report about war. In this study, the authors provide a historical overview of journalist protection. In addition, they explore a number of recent declarations, resolutions and strategies introduced to protect journalists targeted in conflict zones. One particularly controversial strategy, the Press Emblem Campaign, is examined by interviewing various international stakeholders. The authors demonstrate that while no clear comprehensive method to protect journalists has yet to be universally accepted, this global problem has generated increased international attention.

'American' in crisis: opinion discourses, the Iraq War and the politics of identity

Ismail, A., Yousef, M., Berkowitz, D. — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 06:20:39 PDT

During the Iraq War, news of the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal and the beheading of American citizen Nick Berg disturbed Americans, as they were left trying to negotiate the meanings of these events, wondering what `we' (Americans) stand for versus what `they' (Iraqis) do. These events — and the news media's communication of them to the American public — created a situation we call `nationalistic ambiguity', where occurrences present a mixed message to the public mind about national identity and purpose. This article investigates how opinion columns and letters in US newspapers, which addressed these events, reconciled the paradox of America's mission to liberate a people with the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal and the beheading of Nick Berg.

The cultural framing hypothesis: cultural conflict indicators in The New York Times from 1981 to 2007

Bantimaroudis, P., Kampanellou, E. — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 06:20:39 PDT

The authors investigated attributes related to a `cultural framing hypothesis', the notion that mass media have promoted Samuel Huntington's `clash of civilizations' theory, establishing its `salience' outside the academic environment. Media salience of cultural attributes can be linked to several public outcomes: (1) an overall attribution of importance — the fact the `clash of civilizations' paradigm is recognizable and important in the public mind; (2) the theory may be used as a tool for interpretation for whatever conflicts happen around the globe, overshadowing various other plausible and scientifically sound explanations; (3) the theory may be leading to notions of expanded inter-ethnic or `civilization' identities as described by Huntington. To assess the existence of cultural framing, the authors conducted a quantitative content analysis of five different micro-frames, derived from Huntington's seminal work, over a 27-year period. The authors examined two main hypotheses: H1: cultural frames will be predominantly traceable in media content after Huntington's theory appeared in the early 1990s; and H2: cultural frames will be salient in newspaper content during periods of intense terrorist activities, mainly after the year 2001. Both hypotheses were supported by the data.

'Northern residents: Cellcom is with you': the rhetoric of Israeli advertising during the Second Lebanon War

Zeevi, I. — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 06:20:39 PDT

This article analyses the advertising rhetoric used in Israeli daily newspapers during the Second Lebanon War, when advertisements made use of war-related content and symbolism to sell their products. The author reveals how advertisers exploited the war situation to promote sales and, in doing so, demonstrates the values of Israeli society during this unique period in Israeli history. The findings show a wide usage of patriotic expression for marketing products and services. It seems that advertisers preferred to focus most of their attention on the civilian home front, ignoring to a great extent the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and its soldiers (unlike accepted practice during periods of military calm). They also omitted mention of the state and its leaders. Additionally, contrary to former practice, advertisers did not make use of foreign (non-Hebrew) words, thus emphasizing Israeli identity.

The art of shoe-throwing: shoes as a symbol of protest and popular imagination

Ibrahim, Y. — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 06:20:39 PDT

The art of shoe-throwing has captured popular imagination and is here to stay as a form of popular political protest. In a recent incident, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao became a near-victim of a notorious flying shoe during his visit to London in February 2009. Shoe-throwing has become a celebrated art form ever since an Iraqi journalist threw his shoes at then US President George W. Bush, eternally sealing Bush's last presidential moments with the iconic image of the shoe. Popular acts of communication and protests enter new forms of relationships with audiences and global spectators beyond the political context and the shoe-throwing incident is no exception. It has been consummately appropriated into popular culture and entertainment in the multimedia platforms of the internet, transforming political images and political protests into voyeuristic entertainment for the masses.

Book review: Philip Seib (ed.) New Media and the New Middle East New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007. 263 pp. ISBN 978 1 4039 7973 5

Strahm, A. — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 06:20:39 PDT

Book review: Nitzan Ben-Shaul A Violent World: TV News Images of Middle Eastern Terror and War, reprint edn Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2006. 180 pp. ISBN 978 0 7425 3799 6

Boyd-Barrett, O. — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 06:20:39 PDT

Book review: Susan D. Moeller Packaging Terrorism: Co-opting the News for Politics and Profit (Communication in the Public Interest Series) Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009. 240 pp. ISBN 978 1405173667 (hbk); ISBN 978 140517365 0 (pbk)

Badr, H. — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 06:20:39 PDT

Book review: Martin Bell The Truth That Sticks: New Labour's Breach of Trust London: Icon Books, 2007. 294 pp. ISBN 978 1840468229 (hbk); 304 pp. ISBN 978 1840468786

Tatham, S. — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 06:20:39 PDT

Book review: Brigitte L. Nacos Mass Mediated Terrorism: The Central Role of the Media in Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism, 2nd edn Lanham, MD: Rowan and Littlefield, 2007. 253 pp. ISBN 978 0 7425 5380 4

Simons, G. — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 06:20:39 PDT

Book review: Marie-Soleil Frere, with a contribution from Jean-Paul Marthoz The Media and Conflicts in Central Africa Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner, 2007. 287 pp., 1 illus. ISBN 978 1 58826 489 3 (hbk) ISBN 978 1 58826 465 7 (pbk)

Nuno Vicente, P. — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 06:20:39 PDT

Editors' note

Hoskins, A., Richards, B., Seib, P. — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 04:32:50 PDT

Media and peacebuilding: the new army stability doctrine and media sector development

Himelfarb, S. — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 04:32:50 PDT

In October 2008, the US Army released Field Manual 3-07 laying out its dramatically revised doctrine for peace and stability operations. At the heart of the new doctrine is a comprehensive approach to stability operations in fragile states that integrates the work of the military with that of international partners, humanitarian organizations and the private sector. Within this framework, the manual recognizes the important role media plays in successful stability operations. However, it stops short of recommending concrete steps for integrating media sector development with the full spectrum of reconstruction and stabilization activities. This article reviews what the new doctrine says about media sector development, what the gaps are in its treatment of media development, and provides six guidelines for closing these gaps.

Operation Iraqi Freedom strategic communication analysis and assessment

Cioppa, T. M. — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 04:32:50 PDT

In support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Joint Campaign Plan describing purpose and objectives was revised in mid-2007 and designated strategic communication as an important enabler of operations. A flexible and responsive methodological approach was needed to monitor, measure, analyze, and assess strategic communication to ensure desired effects were being achieved. This article details the real-world application of strategic communication analysis by the Multi-National Force — Iraq (MNF—I) Communication Division to support MNF—I and United States Mission — Iraq (USM—I) senior leadership situational awareness and decision making. The seven critical methods used included an understanding of the Iraqi and Pan-Arab media; media penetration of key themes; alignment of key messages; understanding Iraqi perceptions; prevalence of misinformation and disinformation in media stories; resonance of press conferences and key themes and messages; and effect of embedded reporters. The goal was to assess the alignment among facts on the ground, media framing of events, and Iraqi perceptions, and to provide actionable recommendations to improve the alignment.

How embedded journalists in Iraq viewed the arrest of Al-Jazeera reporter Taysir Alouni

Fahmy, S., Johnson, T. J. — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 04:32:50 PDT

Studies suggest that US reporters, who enjoy the protection of the First Amendment, are strong supporters of freedom of the press. However, studies also suggest that the press rarely challenges the positions of government elites, unless those elites do not agree on a course of action. What happens when attitudes toward free press and government policy collide? This study relies on a survey of embedded journalists conducted soon after the conviction of Al-Jazeera's most prominent reporter, Taysir Alouni, on charges that he collaborated with terrorist organizations. The survey was designed to discover whether embeds believe the arrest sets a dangerous precedent. The study also examines the degree to which attitudes about whether the arrest sets a dangerous precedent are correlated with attitudes about press freedom and amount of censorship in Iraq. Respondents were more likely than not to believe that the arrest would set a dangerous precedent, but the plurality did not take a position on the issue. Those who believed reporters should have maximum access to the war and those who believed that the government engaged in censorship were more likely to argue that Alouni's arrest may have a chilling effect on journalism.

National interest or business interest: coverage of conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo in The Australian newspaper

Hawkins, V. — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 04:32:50 PDT

Most of the world's mass media have largely ignored the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), despite the fact that it is by far the deadliest conflict in the world today. Other much smaller conflicts are instead chosen to be the subject of intense focus and attention, ostensibly on grounds of relevance to national interest and humanitarian concern. But neither of these rationales holds up to scrutiny. The Australian newspaper is no exception in this sense. This article quantitatively and qualitatively examines coverage of conflict in the DRC in The Australian, comparing it with that of other conflicts and crises, primarily Israel—Palestine, Darfur and Zimbabwe. It concludes that some subjective and narrow perceptions of national interest as well as business interests (producing news that `sells' and following international news flows) serve to explain the DRC's marginalization in The Australian .

Book review: Guy Westwell War Cinema: Hollywood on the Front Line London: Wallflower Press (Short Cuts Series), 2006. 133 pp. ISBN 1 904764 54 1 (pbk) Tony Shaw Hollywood's Cold War Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2007. 342 pp. ISBN 978 0 7486 2523 9 (hbk); ISBN 978 0 7486 2524 6 (pbk)

Snow, N. — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 04:32:50 PDT

Book review: Myriam Dunn Cavelty, Victor Mauer and Sai Felicia Krishna-Hensel (eds) Power and Security in the Information Age: Investigating the Role of the State in Cyberspace Aldershot: Ashgate, 2007. 167 pp. ISBN 978 0 7546 7088 9 (hbk)

Shields, P. — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 04:32:50 PDT

Book review: Marda Dunsky Pens and Swords: How the American Mainstream Media Report the Israeli-- Palestinian Conflict New York: Columbia University Press, 2008. 456 pp. ISBN 978 0 23113348 7 (hbk); ISBN 978 0 231 13349 4 (pbk)

Donow, K. R. — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 04:32:50 PDT

Book review: Nicholas Mirzoeff Watching Babylon: The War in Iraq and Global Visual Culture New York: Routledge, 2005. vi + 196 pp. ISBN 978 0 415 34309 1 (hbk); ISBN 978 0 415 34310 7 (pbk)

Roger, N. — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 04:32:50 PDT

Book review: Martin Loffelholz and David Weaver (eds) Global Journalism Research: Theories, Methods, Findings, Future Oxford: Blackwell, 2008. 304 pp. ISBN 978 4051 5331 7

Herscovitz, H. G. — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 04:32:50 PDT

Book review: Tugrul Ilter, Nurten Kara, Melek Atabay, Yetin Arslan and Muge Orun (eds) Communication in Peace/Conflict in Communication (Proceedings of the Second International Conference in Communication and Media Studies, 2--4 May 2007, Faculty of Media and Communication Studies, Eastern Mediterranean University, Turkish Republic of North Cyprus) Famagusta, Turkish Republic of North Cyprus: Eastern Mediterranean Press, 2008. x + 306 pp. ISBN 978 975 8401 61 1

Goby, V. P. — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 04:32:50 PDT

Editors' note

Hoskins, A., Richards, B., Seib, P. — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 06:59:37 PST

Journalists, war crimes and international justice

Tumber, H. — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 06:59:37 PST

The examination of the ethical and moral issues surrounding the reporting of war crimes signals one of the outstanding problems facing journalism in the contemporary era. As the nature of war has changed, so has the nature of the journalism mandated to cover it, and the selection of war crimes trials, tribunals and truth commissions are key places in which to analyse these changes. Journalists and news organizations are divided over the merits of testifying at international war crimes tribunals. To some degree, the debate about appearing before war crimes courts has split along European and US lines. A number of European journalists and documentary film makers willingly testified before the war crimes tribunal in The Hague whilst US journalists tend to see the subpoena power of the tribunals as a threat to First Amendment freedoms. Based on interviews conducted with journalists, editors, lawyers and humanitarian aid workers, this article explores questions of journalistic objectivity and impartiality; the verification of journalists' stories; the safety repercussions for journalists participating in international trials; and the implications for the erosion of confidentiality of journalists' sources.

Are the lapdogs starting to bark? Japanese newspaper coverage of the SDF mission to Iraq

Otopalik, C., Schaefer, T. — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 06:59:37 PST

Japanese media coverage is popularly portrayed as being closely tied to the ruling elite through the operation of kisha clubs where access to government sources and close government—journalist—business interconnections are cultivated. Given the gravity of the Koizumi administration's decision to send Self-Defense Forces to Iraq in support of the 2003 US invasion and the fundamental constitutional question it involved, this event provides a unique opportunity to test the thesis that the Japanese media are merely the `lapdog' of government. Two models, hegemony and indexing, make different predictions about media/political elite relations in news coverage. The findings of this study reveal that coverage by journalists provided little support for either. Given this, two alternative models are created and tested, the ideological bias and populist models. These models suggest that the press takes its reporting cues from sources other than political elites. Further study to provide greater assurance of this is merited by results here.

Journalism of attachment and objectivity: Dutch journalists and the Bosnian War

Ruigrok, N. — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 06:59:37 PST

The civil war in Bosnia has been one of the most brutal periods in European post-war history. Dutch media played an important role in creating a rather stereotypical, simplified picture of the Bosnian conflict, and, as a consequence, also of what the Dutch government could do within an international context to solve it. The reasons the media created this simplified and stereotypical picture can be found in the phenomenon of `journalism of attachment'. This form of journalism regards reporters as participants in the conflicts they report, taking part in the public debate about the conflict. Using a content analysis of the news coverage about the Bosnian war we found that journalists covering the Bosnian war show attachment in the news coverage whether openly in the straight news articles or in a more subtle way, through the use of opportune witnesses.

Coverage of the pre-Iraq War debate as a case study of frame indexing

Groshek, J. — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 06:59:37 PST

This study examined critical coverage, substantive news frames, and news sources in The New York Times and Washington Post coverage of the pre-Iraq War debate. This content analysis evaluated media coverage before and after Congress passed the resolution that authorized the use of military force in Iraq. Results demonstrated that Congressional consensus was related to diminished frequencies of critical and substantively framed paragraphs in coverage yet the ongoing international debate sustained relatively more intense levels of critical coverage after the resolution passed than before. Substantively framed coverage, however, declined across all source types and levels of measurement after the Congressional resolution. In sum, the observed increase in the level of consensus within the US government seemed to influence coverage of the pre-Iraq War debate as it continued within and among other groups, such that substantive news frames were indexed to this shift in the tone, intensity, and focus of the policy debate. These findings therefore suggest a level of integration between indexing and framing in which an increased level of official consensus may be predictive of not only certain tones of coverage but also certain news frames being adopted over others.

Examining the Danish cartoon affair: mediatized cross-cultural tensions?

Powers, S. — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 06:59:37 PST

Examined in the context of the rise of media influence in international conflict, the Danish cartoon affair offers troubling evidence against the hope that changes in the global mediascape will provide productive space and means for reconciliation of international and intercultural tensions. This study outlines several ways in which the mainstream Western media constructed, performed, narrativized, and framed the Danish cartoon affair to specifically appeal to culturally problematic assumptions about Muslim society and culture. Drawing from concepts such as the `mediatized public crisis' and `strategic framing', this study found that Western mainstream media outlets drew heavily on Samuel Huntington's `clash of civilizations' narrative, increasing public fear of Islamic culture, obscuring public understandings of the geopolitical and cultural realities underlying the affair, and further entrenching assumptions that have become barriers to productive cross-cultural dialogue.

Comments on Cees Hamelink's article in Media, War & Conflict 1(1), April 2008

Lee, P. — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 06:59:37 PST

Response to comments by Philip Lee

Hamelink, C. J. — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 06:59:37 PST

Book review: W. L. Bennett, R. G. Lawrence and S. Livingston When the Press Fails: Political Power and the News Media from Iraq to Katrina Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2007. 264 pp. ISBN 978 0 226 04284 8

Fraley, T. — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 06:59:37 PST

Book review: Ron F. Smith Ethics in Journalism, 6th edn Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2008. 368 pp. ISBN 978 1 4051 5934 0 (pbk)

Schiller, M. E. — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 06:59:37 PST

Book review: Bruce Bongar, Lisa M. Brown, Larry Beutler, James N. Breckenridge and Philip G. Zimbardo (eds) Psychology of Terrorism New York: Oxford University Press, 2006. 512 pp. ISBN 978 0 1951 7249 2 (hbk)

Awan, A. N. — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 06:59:37 PST