A Look at Mass Media and Foreign Affairs

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A Look at Mass Media and Foreign Affairs

• Robert L. Stevenson
• UNC-CH School of Journalism

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Banned words

• Truth
• Objectivity
• Bias

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U.S. Presidents and the world

• Foreign policy never a plus in politics
• Foreign policy usually a minus
• War is guaranteed failure?
• Johnson Vietnam
• Carter Iran
• Bush Sr. Kuwait
• Reagan avoided terrorism?
• Clinton avoided terrorism?

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Ground war
Invasion
Air war
Election
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Media influence on policy

• An element, sometimes important, rarely decisive
• Like policy itself a complex balancing of
  different, sometimes competing, factors that lead
  to unique actions
• Media important
• Famine in Ethiopia (1984)
• Rocket in Sarajevo (1992)

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Media influence on policy

• Media not decisive
• 9/11
• Previous terror attacks
• Occupation of Kuwait
• Rwanda
• Iraq

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A litany of effects

• Speeds up process of international relations
• Marginal players thrust themselves onto center
  stage
• Attention must be paid to terrorism
• Fog of war brought to living room
• Media (maybe) can frame issues

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A litany of effects

• CNN effect (something must be done)
• Shock and awe first time, then compassion
  fatigue, then desensitization

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Post-Vietnam principles of war(Powell Doctrine)

• Precise, limited objectives with exit strategy
• Overwhelming force
• Minimum friendly casualties
• Control of access to battlefield

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Post-Powell Doctrine Doctrine

• Limited, highly mobile force
• Rolling start
• Coalition of the willing
• Open information

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Wars, lies, and misinformationTruth is the
first casualty of war

• The Big Lie
• The Fog of War
• Damage assessment and investigation low priority
• Many military commanders not used to fast
  response
• Good PR
• Open information
• Fog of war in every living room

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Further reading

• Joanna Neuman, Lights, Camera, War! (1996)
• David Halberstam, War in a Time of Peace (2001)
• John Mueller, War, Presidents and Public Opinion
  (1973), Policy and Opinion in the Gulf War (1994)
  
• Bill Katovsky and Timothy Carlson, Embedded
  (2003)
• Robert Cooper, The Breaking of Nations (2003)
• Samuel Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations
  (1993)
• Clarke, Against All Enemies (2004)
• Woodward, Plan of Attack (2004)

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The best and worst of American fact-based
journalism
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For more information
www.unc.edu/rlstev
Email me robert_stevenson_at_unc.edu