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-- TV News coverage of War in Iraq
TV News coverage of War in Iraq
Alright I'm doing this project for my popular culture class and my topic is TV news's presentation of the Iraq conflict. So I'm really going to be analyzing Foxnews, CNN, BBC, maybe even Al-Jazera in what materials, what interviews are there, how they are presented, etc
Let me give you some examples of what I'm talking about.
Coverage of Privare Jessica Lynch's ordeal on CNN, with the rescue footage and how the truth was handled by CNN.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Stor...,956255,00.html
(I'm putting the links to refresh your memory only, my report doesn't concern print/internet media)
The interview with Donald Rumsfeld on CNN where Rumsfeld is upset over the video of him shaking the hand of Saddam Hussein. When the segment was rerun later, the part with rumsfeld being upset was cut out.
http://www2.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB82/
CNN and other networks flooding the country with the pictures the bodies of Hussein's sons, but not showing or barely showing any bodies of american soldiers.
http://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?ID=1658
The coverage of the prison abuse incident.
What do you guys think about all this TV NEWS coverage thing? Anything I might have missed? Any links I should be aware of? Am I gonna get an F? Am I gonna get shot? Is me being shot a good thing?
Help a brother out.
You'll get an F but I doubt you'll get shot.
Should be an interesting project if not mind-numbing... 
In regards to not showing American soldiers on television, it might be a political policy or just an agreement much like how the newspapers here (Toronto) don't (or aren't allow to?) print about suicide jumpers on subway lines.
Finding out what that policy is and who it's between would be interesting for sure.
As far as the whole TV coverage thing, I think you'll find a pretty close corelation on who owns it and how far from the political center they are.
I'm sure I'm not suggesting anything new by suggesting this, but it would be interesting to see how far each station goes to push it's own political agenda.
Best of luck! 
TV News is about sensationalism. Short clips people want to see with killing or action; people's lives at stake and total havoc. TV is not about reality in Iraq. The yellow ribbon cutting on a new school won't make the 6:00 news for instance. Al-Queada understands this as well and provides us with beheading and ambush bombing clips to air. Soldiers patrolling peaceful neighborhoods, boring... Soldiers shooting at insurgents, exciting!! You get the drift. The media can sway public opinion very easily by painting sensationalism. They do the same thing at home.
[[[smoke]]]
It sounds like you're approaching the topic with a preset agenda. That in itself is ok, but you may want to strive for objectivity and fairness in your analysis regardless of your own personal opinions. A good teacher isn't stupid and will recognize comprehensive analysis that goes beyond popular belief so long as it's well sourced. For example you can focus on the lack of actual violence, attacks, death, and destruction in American media when it comes to everyday violence in Iraq. The media attempts to "desensitize" the actual violence and simply report the deaths or whatever. On the other end of the spectrum you can attack how Al-Jazeera was so willing to broadcast graphic and violent images of dead american soldiers, yet were reluctant to broadcast images of innocent civilians being beheaded by militants because it was "morally" incorrect or whatever.
What I would suggest, is that whatever your thesis is to research the antithesis of your thesis and approach it with an open mind. The strongest defense of a thesis is to know your enemy and acknowledge its strengths as well as to highlight its weaknesses. If it doesn't have a strength than there's no reason to write a paper on the topic now is there?
Thing is, I've got to present for 15 minutes and then have a 15 min discussion period. And with my group's topic being TV news, Iraq is probably the most likely topic to fill that discussion time because, just like on this board, a lot of people in my class are very opinionated and its just a hot issue for them. So I gotta work them up a little, but yes I see what you're saying with the teacher seeing through that.
I'm probably going to use this vid around the end of my presentation to set off the discussion period.
http://www.hugi.is/hahradi/bigboxes...51208&f_id=1211
(Should get everyone excited because I go to a Canadian university)
| quote: |
| Originally posted by Cal Thing is, I've got to present for 15 minutes and then have a 15 min discussion period. And with my group's topic being TV news, Iraq is probably the most likely topic to fill that discussion time because, just like on this board, a lot of people in my class are very opinionated and its just a hot issue for them. So I gotta work them up a little, but yes I see what you're saying with the teacher seeing through that. I'm probably going to use this vid around the end of my presentation to set off the discussion period. http://www.hugi.is/hahradi/bigboxes...51208&f_id=1211 (Should get everyone excited because I go to a Canadian university) |
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