Page 16 - Mass Media, Mass Propoganda Examining American News in the War on Terror

6 Introduction

press, among others. This chapter comes to the conclusion that the British and
Australian press have generally been more balanced and presented a wider di-
versity of opinions than the American media in their portrayals of the Iraq war,
and that the American public is at a disadvantage for its general lack of access to
such critical media outlets.
Chapter 10 looks at a conflict that has not received much attention when it
comes to media coverage-the war in Afghanistan from 2001-2002. The chap-
ter looks at three main points: 1. media evaluations of, and displeasure with,
potentially peaceful alternatives to war in Afghanistan; 2. media reactions to the
motivations for the 911 1 attacks; 3. media coverage of Afghan reconstruction
and "democratization"; and 4. issues of human rights and humanitarian disaster
in post 911 1 Afghanistan.
Chapter 11 looks at possible future targets in the "War on Terror." Syria,
Iran, and North Korea are discussed, as they are the next three countries after
Iraq listed as part of the "Axis of Evil" laid out by the Bush administration. As
this chapter shows, the mainstream press, like the Bush administration, has been
antagonistic to these countries, viewing them as enemies of state that need to be
dealt with in order to protect American national security.
Finally, the conclusion focuses upon emerging discussions over the effects
of corporate consolidation of the American media. The effects of the regulatory
actions of the Federal Communication Commission are discussed in particular.
Discussion of corporate monopoly ownership of the mainstream media is not
confined only to activist and academic circles; indeed, the issue has become a
major focus of reporting. Analyzing the potential for media refowwhether it
is toward limiting monopoly control or toward some alternate trend in owner-
ship (perhaps a combination of public and private ownership)-is vital when
looking at the issue of imbalanced reporting in American mainstream media
coverage.

Notes

1. Wilma De Jong, Martin Shaw, and Neil Stammers, "Introduction," in Global Activ-
ism, Global Media, edited by Wilma De Jong, Martin Shaw, and Neil Stammers (Ann
Arbor, Mi.: Pluto, 2005), 1.
2. Kate Coyer, "If it Leads, it Bleeds: The Participatory Newsmaking of the Independ-
ent Media Centre," in Global Activism, Global Media, edited by Wilma De Jong, Martin
Shaw, and Neil Stammers (Ann Arbor, Mi.: Pluto, 2005), 166.
3. Coyer, "The Participatory Newsmaking of the Independent Media Centre," 170.