This thoughtful study examines the fraught relationship of the news media to warfare through the lens of the war in Iraq. Journalism professor Seib notes many revolutionary aspects of the conflict’s coverage, including the rise of Arab news organizations, such as Al Jazeera, that challenge Western viewpoints, the growing importance of Internet news circulation and the advent of cheap, portable satellite technology that permits real-time reporting straight from the front. Given the insatiable demand of cable networks and Web sites for news, journalists covering Iraq faced greater pressure than ever before to sacrifice accuracy and depth for speed. At the same time, Seib writes, the overall tone of "cheerleading" and "boosterism" in American coverage of the war raised the perennial conundrum of whether the media’s primary role is to bolster support for the troops or maintain an independent, critical stance that will stimulate public debate. Seib explores these issues through a combination of academic theory and a close reading of the coverage from the war. Particularly acute is his analysis of the embedding of journalists with military units, a system he says yielded vivid but limited close-ups of the fighting that risked missing the forest for the trees. Seib worries that as the American media’s capacity to capture the action grows, its commitment to in-depth international news reporting has waned, leaving the public without the political and historical context it needs to understand wars waged in its name.
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Seib, a journalism professor, critiques the current state of media coverage of war and the implications for U.S. democracy and international relations. The myth that the news coverage of the Vietnam War was a major reason for the U.S. defeat haunts both the U.S. military and the media, profoundly affecting how both institutions deal with war and war coverage. Seib describes changes in military policy on war coverage since Vietnam, from locking out media to media pools to embedding. He also explores how changing dynamics in technology and geopolitics are affecting news gathering. Seib includes interviews with a variety of journalists discussing how the 9/11 terrorist attacks, consolidation in news organizations, the growth of non-Western news organizations, and the Internet have influenced news coverage of the war in Iraq. Seib raises thoughtful concerns about the balance among national security, patriotism, and press freedoms in a democracy at a time of war and offers suggestions for achieving that balance. This will have wide appeal to journalists and readers interested in press and government policy issues. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.