The
line between what is true propaganda and what is media-related bias has become
ever more blurred in the post 9/11 world.
In
the more conventional sense, propaganda is information that is willfully spread
by a government or other institution in an effort to distort facts and move
public opinion in a certain direction. Some of the best examples of this can be
found amongst the posters produced by various nations during World War I and
World War II, in which gross characterizations of the enemy played upon peoples'
fears.
But
in the world of Post-modern conflict, propaganda has taken on a much more
sophisticated tone. And in an effort to shape public sentiment, a government can
use a wide range of tactics to get its message out, often including the
recruitment of unwitting information channels.
With
news media having achieved global reach, they are often prime targets of
government information campaigns. Within the United States, for instance, the
government is able to use its “bully pulpit” to insure that it will get
coverage of its messages. Since the world is in a state of war, U.S. news media
are compelled to cover press conferences from the likes of U.S. Secretary of
Defense Donald Rumsfeld, during which Rumsfeld spares no expense in dispensing.
Thus
the news media cannot be accused of being true propagandists. However, one can
find fault with them for lack of responsibility in their reporting and
commentary. This fault was brought squarely into the light when MSNBC news
correspondent Ashleigh Banfield spoke disparagingly about her own networks
coverage of the war in Iraq and the general coverage by other news outlets.
In
a speech given at Kansas State University, Banfield called the American coverage
of the war “a glorious and wonderful picture that had a lot of people watching
and a lot of advertisers excited about cable news.”
Indeed
it was a glorious picture, with news correspondents racing at breakneck speeds
across the Iraqi desert atop military vehicles, all thanks to the cleverly
crafted “embedding” program devised by the United States to help control the
media.
Fearing
that they might miss the story of the century to their rivals, the networks all
joined the program all too willingly. Commenting on this, and the often
sanitized version of news that was broadcast, Banfield noted, "You did not
see where those bullets landed. You didn't see what happened when the mortars
landed. A puff of smoke is not what a mortar looks like when it explodes,
believe me,"
Instead
of the impact of the war, viewers received some actual news mixed in with
carefully tailored interviews and events arranged by the military that presented
little more than patriotic “personality” stories of courage and bravery.
More
subtle propaganda comes in the form of language used by U.S. officials. For
instance , CNN reported that an Iraqi scientist dubbed by the U.S. government as
“Mrs. Anthrax” had been apprehended. Much of the viewing public, will never
remember the scientists true name or any details about her alleged involvement
in the Iraqi weapons program. Rather, they will remember the name, Mrs. Anthrax,
and the sentiment such a name evokes. The same was done with the infamous
“Chemical Ali”.
All
of these measures, combined with the hawkish commentary of certain print and
broadcast pundits, helped pull the proverbial wool over the eyes of Americans.
Despite the clear rejection of U.S. actions against Iraq around the world,
Americans supported the war.
Overseas,
however, the propaganda war took on a different tone and in many ways continues.
The
most direct propaganda came in Iraq itself. Prior to the assault on Baghdad,
U.S. troops moved from city to city passing out flyers and using actual public
relations specialists to convey the American point of view. Once Iraqi
communications had been disrupted, the U.S. began flying C-130 mobile broadcast
planes over Iraq that ran television and radio messages to the Iraqi people as
well some popular Arab music content. In this way, U.S. propaganda reached into
the very homes of the Iraqi people.
For
the rest of the Arab world, the popularity of satellite television has allowed
American cultural messaging to slowly sink and impact the hearts and minds in
the region. MBC Channel 2 for instance, provides a steady stream of sitcoms,
movies and popular music from the West.
Taken
all together, the impact of subtle messaging and overt propaganda is
significant. And the steady and patient deployment of these messages suggests
that this effort will continue until the hearts and minds in the region are
shaped and tailored in a manner that suits outside needs and interests
