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THE CNN EFFECT IN ACTION
Research Approaches in the CNN
Effect Literature
Within the literature that claims the possibility of a CNN effect, a
number of research approaches have been used to validate such
a claim. This section outlines four of the leading approaches. The first
of these relies primarily on interviews and the opinions of policy-
makers; the second is based on media reports and their relation to
policy change; the third involves measuring the quantitative relation-
ships of media coverage and policy shifts; and the fourth—the policy-
media interactions model—incorporates a combination of research
strategies.
Interview-Based Approaches
Interviews are often the method of choice for journalists that seek to
understand the political impact of their profession in more depth, and
typically involve interviewing policy decision–makers to gauge the
impact of the media on their decision-making. This is not surprising,
of course, given the fact that an interview is the key information-
gathering tool of the journalistic trade. Nik Gowing, a former diplomatic
editor for the British television station International Television News
(ITN), conducted perhaps the most extensive study of this kind
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involving over 100 interviews with relevant policymakers. Based on
aggregating interviewee opinions with his own analysis of events,
Gowing concluded that the CNN effect is relevant only in a limited
number of cases and is a far weaker phenomenon than its enthusiasts
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suggest. For Gowing, the CNN effect takes place only when two
conditions arise: The first is the emergence of unexpected images, and
the second is when policy is unclear on a foreign policy issue. In such
cases, policymakers who are confronted by surprising powerful images
often do not have an adequate policy explanation and may feel forced
to do something. When a clear policy is in place, television has little
impact. To support his point, Gowing quotes United Nations (UN)
secretary-general Kofi Annan who states, “When governments have a
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clear policy . . . television has little impact.” Martin Bell, the so-called
war zone thug from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC),
takes a similar position by explaining that television images have a
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jolting effect only when governments lack purpose. This position has
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been repeated by other analysts such as Warren Strobel, Ted Koppel, 8
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and Larry Miner et al. acquiring the status of a neo-orthodoxy,
according to Carruthers. 10