Page 12 - Mass Media, Mass Propoganda Examining American News in the War on Terror

2 Introduction

Indymedia are also used as venues for planning local and national activist
events; in this sense, it is a valuable activist tool in organizing demonstrations,
marches, and direct action as well. Coyer explains: "Indymedia has continued to
grow since its inception in 1999, both in size and scope. The philosophy of
Indymedia informs each aspect of the global network and local collectives, from
its anti-authoritarian decision making process, to its open publishing flexibility
as an organization, decentralization, and commitment to local autonomy."2
Coyer argues that its open publishing is vital because "it ensures a place for eve-
ryone's voice and participation and is key to what makes Indymedia a participa-
tory, and thus inherently democratic medi~m."~
While it is important to understand the emerging systems of reporting which
challenge private or capitalist ownership of the press, it is also imperative to
understand the extent of corporate power when it comes to dominating this vital
medium of communication. Although investors and owners may complain about
declining levels of profitability, media corporations today appear more powefil
than at any time in world history, and they exercise a tremendous amount of
influence and power over public opinion in the markets in which they operate.
To underestimate the power of such institutions would be a great disservice to
any serious study of media politics and mass communications.
It is vital to systematically analyze the ways in which media corporations in
America use their resources to portray a favorable image of the United States in
the "War on Terror." At the same time, alternate standards of reporting that exist
outside of the mainstream press are examined, so as to demonstrate the chasm
between the norms and values that drive each system of reporting. This exercise
will show that the current standard of reporting, and current trends toward pri-
vate ownership in the U.S. mainstream, are not inherently natural, but merely a
reflection of one way of going about reporting the news, and one form of media
ownership. Other models of reporting and ownership do exist-those character-
ized by less extreme corporate media consolidation and conglomeration, and
others defined by non-corporate ownership, both of which will be discussed
later in this work.
This work was written so as to reach academic and general audiences alike.
The concepts discussed throughout are approached so as to provide easy access
for those without extensive knowledge of the technical language often employed
in many Political Science and media studies. A rigorous analysis of media fram-
ing and propaganda is employed in order to appeal to academic and scholarly
audiences looking for a more thorough exploration of the way that media institu-
tions operate in the United States and throughout the world. Major concepts are
clearly defined, and readers are given ample evidence within each chapter to
reinforce basic themes that run throughout the work. This interdisciplinary ap-
proach makes this work relevant for a number of different subfields of scholarly
study.
A major question that is addressed throughout these pages concerns the
"War on Terror": what is the nature of the relationship between the media and
government during times of war? To answer such a question, it is vital to ana-
lyze the uses of propaganda by all different types of media in the effort to shape