The Media and Operation Iraqi Freedom, 2003

1
The Media and Operation Iraqi Freedom, 2003

• Prof. Phil Taylor
• Institute of Communications Studies, University
  of Leeds, UK
• p.m.taylor_at_leeds.ac.uk
• www.leeds.ac.uk/ics/phillink.html

2
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

3
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

4
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

5
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 ABCs World News
  Tonight)