Page 80 - Mass Media, Mass Propoganda Examining American News in the War on Terror

70 Chapter 3

made by reporters who were discussing WMD charges without relying
on official statements.
The "*" category refers only to news pieces that discuss the
possibility of a violent Iraqi counter-response using WMD in the event
of a U.S. attack.

Table 3.1

New York Times Stories Analyzed
From September 12-November 30 2002:
(Total = 205)

*
Frame WMD No Balanced Ambiguous
Categories WMD

# of New
York Times
news 1511205 191205 291205 31205 31205
stones that
fit within
each
category
% of times
this type of
article was 73.6% 9.3% 14.1% 1.5% 1.5%
seen in
New York
Times
coverage

As the data suggest, the New York Times overwhelmingly emphasized
reporting of "positive" charges against Saddam and Iraq in the pre-war period.
At a time when media neutrality is vehemently promoted, this analysis undercuts
the media's proclamation that they are an unbiased reporting institution. Rather,
the data suggests a bias toward the positions of the Bush administration. A small
number of government and official sources originating from the Pentagon and
other political leaders were promoted consistently, while other government
officials (weapons inspectors primarily) who were critical of the WMD charges
were given much less time to make the case that Iraq did not possess WMD or
constitute a serious threat to the U.S. Although this content analysis deals
specifically with the New York Times articles and not other corporate news