Page 181 - The CNN Effect in Action - How the News Media Pushed the West toward War ini Kosovo

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THE CNN EFFECT IN ACTION
Even the FRY government seemed to be aware of the incredible
damage caused by the media reports and images from Gornje Obrinje.
In an unprecedented attack on the media for what they claimed as a
distortion, the Serb-dominated government blasted foreign media for
aggravating the situation, stating,
The Federal Government pointed out that the situation in Kosovo and
Metohija is particularly aggravated by the international pressures and
orchestrated anti-Serb media campaign. In the wake of unverified infor-
mation put forward by foreign media on the alleged crimes and grave
sites in the villages of Golubovac, Lipovac and Gornje Obrinje ...The
Federal Government at the same time deplores that the international
community has in such a strong and threatening manner responded to
50
unverified information. . .
The impact of the massacre images also influenced the thinking of
many U.S. lawmakers, who would debate the Kosovo conflict and the
case for intervention with greater vigor in the days following the mas-
sacre. On October 1, for example, shortly after the first images of the
massacre reached the United States, Congressman Engel made one of
the strongest cases linking images to the need for military action, stating,
We read about it in the paper today on the front page, that there were
several massacres, that bodies were found of innocent civilians, men,
women and children, as the Serbian police forces and military units
continue their campaign of genocide and ethnic cleansing against eth-
nic Albanians in Kosovo ...Mr. Speaker, it is time for action. We need
to have immediate NATO air strikes on Serbian positions in Kosovo so
that the innocent civilians will not continue to be slaughtered ...I
have a letter signed by 18 of our colleagues on both sides of the aisle
calling on the President to issue immediate air power with NATO allies
to stop the carnage . . . The time for military strikes is now. 51
By early October, however, despite the White House decision to
push the military option, there was still strong opposition to such an
approach in the U.S. Congress. 52 Many members opposed military
force due to their concern over entrenchment in another country’s
internal struggles and over the lack of vital national interests in
Kosovo. In an important meeting between the administration and
Congress on October 1, the Clinton team made a case for military
intervention, but many in Congress remained unconvinced that this
option was wise and anything more than an emotional reaction to
the atrocity. Even some opponents, however, seemed to be aware of the