Page 190 - Mass Media, Mass Propoganda Examining American News in the War on Terror

180 Chapter 8

of confiscated weapons and American troops cruising through Mosul on patrol
with large caliber machine guns pointing into the blurred background. As is
standard in much pro-military propaganda and reporting, the paper's aim was
undoubtedly the promotion of a positive image of the American armed forces. In
its chronicling of U.S. military operations in Mosul, the magazine's imagery
reflected a sort of dual role for the armed forces-one of heroism, where Ameri-
can soldiers tirelessly fight secret terrorist threats, and another of compassion,
where those same soldiers also take the time to play the role of friend to Iraqi
children.
Aside from the valiant image of the war promoted within the paper, other
portrayals were to follow. In assessing the U.S. plans for Iraq's future, Barnes
wondered in one of the stories: "How should Americans balance winning the
war against the insurgency with maintaining its image and values? And how
should American soldiers balance letting the indigenous police and Army do
things their way while making sure they comply with western standard^."^ As
this statement indicated, the assumption of American paternalism was alive and
well within the pages of US. News & World Report. This was perhaps best seen
when the magazine spoke of "letting" the police and army work, while assuring
that they "comply" with the Bush administration's standards, demands, and ex-
pectations, rather than those put in place by the Iraqi citizenry.
The issue of US. News & World Report was not selected for analysis be-
cause of its uniqueness when compared to other mainstream reporting, but be-
cause of its symbolism of a uniform trend in the American mass media of em-
phasizing U.S. humanitarianism and downplaying the arguments of those who
argue that the U.S. is inducing humanitarian disaster in Iraq. Chapter Four ex-
tensively analyzed the many ways in which the United States is portrayed as a
necessary, democratic, and stabilizing agent in Iraq. This chapter looks at argu-
ments that the U.S. is responsible for escalating humanitarian disaster in Iraq.
Addressing such views, regardless of how controversial some may consider
them, is essential if the objective of media coverage is a full and rich debate over
war. Traditional patterns of pro-war propaganda are analyzed throughout, along-
side counter arguments made by those who present anti-war views. Mainstream
media emphasizes a number of assumptions regarding occupied Iraq; these in-
clude: the importance of reconstruction, the construction of the image of a clean
war against the "insurgency," and the assumption that the U.S. is committed to
democracy enhancement in Iraq. Standard arguments repeated throughout the
press mandate acceptance of the thesis that the U.S. is determined to rejuvenate
the Iraqi state after years of war and sanctions. This chapter, however, takes an
in-depth look at other views promoted in Progressive-Left media sources, which
argue that torture, widespread destabilization, and the killing of tens of thou-
sands (possibly hundreds of thousands) Iraqi civilians are major consequences of
U.S. intervention.
Despite the persistence of elections, the U.S. remains very much in a posi-
tion of authority in Iraq, as American media and establishment elites continually
reaffirm the legitimacy of the United States' self-imposed role in regulating
Iraqi political affairs. Such dominance is evident in a number of examples, such