U.S. Battles for Public Opinion Through Media in Iraq (Reuters)
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MEDIA SPIN
AND ITS IMPACT ON PUBLIC OPINION
MEDIA SPIN
AND ITS IMPACT ON PUBLIC OPINION
05/25/2004 04:27 PM
 Ira Basen, a producer
with the CBC and a friend of mine from Carleton University days, is
writing a book on media spin,
a term often used interchangeably with bias. But Ira says spin is actually subtler and more
insidious. It is the shading of
meaning or interpretation of events in favour of a particular point of
view, and it is sometimes inadvertent or even unconscious.
There are several ways spin will creep into a story, including:
- The use of emotional words: The use of terms like
'terrorist', 'freedom fighter', and 'resistance movement', for
example. Did you know that Reuters' policy
is not to use
these, or similar terms charged with emotional baggage, unless they
are
used in quotation marks with the unambiguous source of the quotation
cited, even with pseudo-qualifiers like 'alleged' or 'so-called'. The
job of the media is to report the facts, and to avoid subjective
labels, even if they may be substantiated in the reporter's, or most
people's, minds. In some cased, this spin technique can be used in
reverse: the term 'abuse' instead of 'torture', or the use of
'casualties' or the infamous 'collateral damage' instead of 'dead
civilians'.
- Orwellian misuse of words: The Bush Administration is
notorious for this, using words like patriot, freedom, and peace
to mean nearly the exact opposite, and attempting to entrench public
and media misuse by naming programs and laws with Orwellian terms
(Patriot Act, Operation Iraqi Freedom). Improper personification and
similar techniques (e.g. using the name of a country or the name of
its
people instead of 'the government of', to confuse government policy or
actions with popular opinion: "Iran Building up Nuclear Arsenal",
"Syrians Refuse to Stop Funding Terrorists") can accomplish the same
end more subtly.
- Self-censorship -- What is not reported:
The choice of what not to report at all, and when (before or after the
public is focused on it) and where (front page or at the end of the
continuation of a story on page 32) to report, can have a greater
impact on viewers or listeners than what is actually, factually
reported. Recently, for example, the media had an abrupt about-face,
ceasing their self-censorship of showing flag-draped coffins and even
reading the names of American dead (oops, casualties)
in the Iraqi war, because they realized to what extent that
self-censorship impacts public perception. Likewise, the media have a
natural propensity to not
report stories that they believe are complex (e.g. the violations of the Geneva Conventions
by the US Government), long-term
(e.g. environmental deterioration and biodegradation), distant (e.g. Third World genocides
and wars unless US troops are involved) or intractable (e.g.
famine in East Africa and North Korea), because they are hard,
expensive stories to do well, and hence do not offer the ROI of, say,
a
celebrity scandal or shaggy dog story. This is not especially
political
-- it's the same phenomenon that has led to prime time TV being filled
with cheap 'Reality TV' programs instead of serious drama or
intelligent comedy. It's about lack of money, more than lack of
integrity.
- The way something is reported:
Being in a commercial business, the media have a natural temptation to
sensationalize, to create extraordinary buzz, because it's good for
ratings or circulation. If CBS had chosen merely to describe what it
had learned about Abu Ghraib, and not to show the photos, the impact
of
the story would have been much different, and it is not surprising
that
the Bush Regime (oops. some senior
policy-makers in the US Government)
have since trotted out videos and photos of Saddam Hussein's brutality
and murder to counter the emotional impact of the Abu Ghraib
photos.
- Oversimplification:
Although I have an optimistic view of most people and believe they are
capable of and interested in learning in detail about issues and
programs that affect their lives, the media have a more jaundiced view
that the public (oops, the majority
of citizens)
either can't understand, or don't care about, such detail and
subtlety.
Especially in political campaigns, there is therefore a tendency to
try
to reduce the differences between the voter's choices to an absurd
degree of simplicity. The parties and candidates exploit this by
feeding the media sound bites and negative ads that exaggerate and
oversimplify (or outright misrepresent) their opponents' positions or
actions. So whether the public wants to be or not, the media are
complicit in the 'dumbing down' of issues to a dangerously
over-simplified degree. The only question, and one which I understand
Ira's book is going to address, is whether the media are pandering to
citizens' inability to understand complex and subtle issues, or to
politicians' desire to oversimplify these issues for political
advantage. Or perhaps both.
There are other 'spin' techniques, of course, such as Failure to present
opposing interpretations of the facts, Giving credibility to unidentified
and unsubstantiated sources ("One senior former official said",
"Saddam was believed to have...") and Assuming facts without evidence
(e.g. most of what we read about WMD), but I think these are the most
common and most insidious. Let's take a look at a case study. Before
you read the following article, please note -- this is important -- It
is slamming the media's spin in handling the Clinton Administration for its bombing of Sudan,
before 9/11 and before the recent
wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Now, please read this
article. It's long, and a bit strident, but worth the read.
Finished? Did you shudder a bit when you read, in an article written about Clinton in 1998,
"Is bin Laden's new assignment perhaps to be a bogey-man of
convenience
whom the U.S. government can link to any government it wishes to
bomb?"
With the benefit of hindsight (and the opposing political party in
power) it's easy to see the incredible spin in the venerable Times'
reporting in 1998, and to see that to some extent this ubiquitous
media
spin contributed to the overwhelming bipartisan approval for the US to
launch a war against Afghanistan, against precisely the people we had
supported and financed earlier in their
war against the USSR, the enemy of that earlier day. I confess that I
had few misgivings about war with the Taliban, despite the fact that I
am a life-long pacifist. Why? Because nowhere (except the discredited
extreme conspiracy-theorist papers) were we presented with spin-free
reporting (or opposite-spin reporting, if you think spin-free
reporting
is an oxymoron) on what exactly was, and had been, going on in
Afghanistan, and why things were the way they were. There is almost always a rational
explanation for things that appear absurd or unreasonable in the
absence of the facts. We
are just now beginning to realize the degree to which our money and
support made the Taliban both popular and tyrannical in Afghanistan.
And still we are missing most
of the facts about that country, and about Iraq. The facts, alas, are
not the same as the news. The media's job is to report the news, not
to
dig up the facts. Investigative journalism is what we desperately
need,
but there is no money in that, surprisingly little demand for it, and
precious few willing to take the enormous risks to pursue that
thankless career.
It's easy to take sides, especially when the current US administration
is so unapologetically propagandizing (i.e. deliberately and
systematically spinning) every issue it deals with, to a degree not
seen since the Vietnam War. But the reality is that the media, taken
as
a whole, are neither liberal nor conservative. The political position
of each media outlet on any given issue is somewhere in the middle of
(a) the position of its editorial board, (b) its perception of the
position of the 'average' reader/viewer, (c) the position of the
reporters covering the story, and (d) the position of the people
presenting the story (usually the administration of the day). That
means that to right-wingnuts like this guy,
the media will always appear liberal, and to unabashed left-wingers
like me, the media will always appear conservative. But the truth is,
at least in their story
reporting (editorials and schlock talk radio aside), there is no vast
media 'conspiracy' at either end of the political spectrum. Most
people
in the media are doing their best to do their jobs in a way that
balances the views of the above four 'interest groups'. They are
vulnerable to the spin techniques listed above -- if you've ever
interviewed someone, you'll appreciate that unless you're really
treated abusively there's an earnest desire to represent what they had
to say clearly, favourably, but above all objectively.
To the extent they get it right, they deserve a lot of credit -- it's
a
difficult, thankless, often dangerous and tedious job. To the extent
they, and their editors, let spin creep into their stories, we
have a duty as readers and viewers and citizens to recognize it, and
discount it accordingly. The fact that so many of us are using the
Internet to learn more, to check out other interpretations of events,
and to get behind the stories so we can understand and talk about the
issues facing our world more knowledgeably, we are contributing to the
democratic process, and helping to reduce spin. At the same time,
there
is a tendency in the blogosphere to frequent sites authored and
populated by like minds, and some of the hysterics of extremists of
every stripe are quite frightening. My blog wears its left-spinning,
overtly editorial stripes quite proudly and unapologetically, but I
make a point of reading a few of the more moderate conservative blogs
on each new issue, and occasionally some of the bizarre extreme
leftist
blogs -- because the danger of exposing yourself to a lot of spin is
that, if you're not careful, you can find yourself permanently
off-balance.
And as we all know, "fair and balanced" is another term that's subject
to a lot of spin. George O. must be 'spinning' in his grave.
|
U.S. Forces Renew Holy City Battles in
Iraq (Reuters)
U.S. Forces Renew Holy City Battles in
Iraq (Reuters)
05/15/2004 05:51 AMReuters - U.S.-led forces battled
insurgents around some of the holiest Shi'ite shrines in Iraq
on Saturday as international pressure built for an interim
government to be given real control of military affairs.
Court of public opinion
Court of public opinion
12/24/2003 09:21 PMUSA Today Dec 24 2003 8:06PM ET
Is Public Opinion Turning Against
Google?
Is Public Opinion Turning Against
Google?
03/25/2005 01:20 AMAddict3d.org Mar 25 2005 5:35AM GMT
Stem Cells Rise in Public Opinion
Stem Cells Rise in Public Opinion
08/19/2004 06:11 AMMore Americans know about stem cell research, and more approve of it
this year than in 2001, according to a new Harris Poll. By Kristen
Philipkoski.
State of the Union public opinion primer
State of the Union public opinion primer
01/16/2004 11:26 AMID Cards: Latest UK public opinion
surveyed by MORI
ID Cards: Latest UK public opinion
surveyed by MORI
04/26/2004 03:26 AMPublicTechnology.net Apr 26 2004 7:05AM GMT
Taking Your Case To The Court Of Public
Opinion... Online
Taking Your Case To The Court Of Public
Opinion... Online
12/03/2003 03:01 AMIt does feel like most high-profile trials these days are conducted in
the press first, and later in the actual court room. While,
historically, the press has had free reign, the latest trend is for
people involved in high-profile trials to
take their case
directly to the public via a website. While they sound pretty
carefully crafted, it does give people (often famous ones like Martha
Stewart) the chance to respond to what people have been saying and
give their side. Of course, this contrasts with the theory that
defendants should stay as quiet as possible outside of court - and
could open them up to more difficulties later on. However, it seems
that many celebrities are realizing that the view in the court of
public opinion may be more important in some cases than the actual
results in the court of law.
ID cards: Blunkett ignores online public
opinion
ID cards: Blunkett ignores online public
opinion
11/13/2003 05:27 AMSilicon.com Nov 13 2003 4:18AM ET
The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed
Columnist: Moore's Public Service
The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed
Columnist: Moore's Public Service
07/06/2004 01:45 AMnytimes.com/2004/07/02/opinion/02KRUG.html
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How Public Opinion Polls Define and
Circumscribe Online Privacy
How Public Opinion Polls Define and
Circumscribe Online Privacy
07/23/2004 06:25 AMHow Public Opinion Polls Define and Circumscribe Online
Privacy by Kim Bartel Sheehanhttp://firstmon
day.org/issues/issue9_7/sheehan/The advent of new
communications technologies and the integration of such technologies
into individuals’ lives have resulted in major changes to society.
Responding to such privacy concerns is of key interest to legislators,
policy–makers, and business leaders as these groups seek to balance
consumer privacy needs with the realities of this new society. These
groups, and others, use public opinion polls and surveys to measure
the current climate of opinion among citizens. This study examines the
language of 43 opinion polls and surveys dealing with privacy and the
Internet to understand how these polls define and assess online
privacy. Results suggest that polls treat the complex construction of
privacy in an overly simplistic way. Additionally, pollsters present
many poll questions in a way that may lead survey respondents to
express stronger negative feelings about privacy than really exist.
This has been added to
Privacy Resources Subject
Tracer™ Information Blog.
U.S. Battles Militia in Iraq; 5 GIs Die
(AP)
U.S. Battles Militia in Iraq; 5 GIs Die
(AP)
05/15/2004 08:10 PMAP - The U.S. military said Saturday it killed 18 gunmen believed
loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in Baghdad, and jet fighters
bombarded militia positions on the capital's outskirts. Skirmishes
persisted in the southern holy cities of Najaf and Karbala.
The Seattle Times: Opinion: Why media
ownership matters
The Seattle Times: Opinion: Why media
ownership matters
04/05/2005 04:07 AMtwo footstompers who say CORPORATE MEDIA ARE LEADING US TO A MILITARY
DICTATORSHIP!!!!! .. Why Media Ownership Matters .. he who owns the
press:
seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2002228040_sundaygoodm
an03.html
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Battles grip Iraq on anniversary
Battles grip Iraq on anniversary
04/09/2004 04:13 PMThe UK says the coalition is facing its worst threat in a year as a
truce in Falluja fails and Shia unrest burns on.
Iraq Flashpoints Calm; Battles Erupt
Elsewhere
Iraq Flashpoints Calm; Battles Erupt
Elsewhere
04/18/2004 09:47 AMReuters via Wired News Apr 18 2004 1:43PM GMT
Al-Sadr Militia Battles U.S., Iraq
Troops (AP)
Al-Sadr Militia Battles U.S., Iraq
Troops (AP)
08/05/2004 07:47 PMAP - Militant Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's militia battled U.S. and
Iraqi troops Thursday in the holy city of Najaf, sparking clashes in
other Shiite areas that killed at least 20 Iraqis and a U.S. soldier.
An al-Sadr spokesman threatened a "revolution" unless American forces
agree to a new cease-fire.
U.S. Bombs Falluja, Battles Guerrillas
in North Iraq
U.S. Bombs Falluja, Battles Guerrillas
in North Iraq
09/09/2004 03:06 AMReuters via Wired News Sep 9 2004 7:33AM GMT
U.S. Forces Renew Holy City Battles in
Iraq
U.S. Forces Renew Holy City Battles in
Iraq
05/15/2004 07:14 AMReuters via Wired News May 15 2004 10:51AM GMT
Boats, Cows, Tasty Lamb: Iraq Battles
Smuggling
Boats, Cows, Tasty Lamb: Iraq Battles
Smuggling
03/26/2005 01:15 PMThe interim Iraqi government is struggling to deal with a sharp rise
in smuggling two years after the American invasion left the borders
wide open.
Virtual flag Iraq battles to take
control of its home on the internet
Virtual flag Iraq battles to take
control of its home on the internet
07/05/2004 11:06 AMBBC Jul 5 2004 3:40PM GMT
Telegraph | Opinion | The last thing
Iraq needs is the cheats of the UN
Telegraph | Opinion | The last thing
Iraq needs is the cheats of the UN
04/25/2004 09:41 AM"The scale of the UN Oil-for-Fraud programme is way beyond any of
the corporate scandals that so excite the progressive mind." ..
Mark
Steyn
telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2004/04/25/do2
501.xml
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Japanese Hostages Safe in Iraq -
Japanese Media (Reuters)
Japanese Hostages Safe in Iraq -
Japanese Media (Reuters)
04/11/2004 12:20 AMReuters - Three Japanese civilians kidnapped in
Iraq were safe near Falluja on Sunday, Japanese TV said.
Government officials could not confirm the report.
Telegraph | Opinion | All the good
things they never tell you about today's
Iraq
Telegraph | Opinion | All the good
things they never tell you about today's
Iraq
09/20/2004 02:59 AMTelegraph | Opinion | All the good
things they never tell you about today's
Iraq
Telegraph | Opinion | All the good
things they never tell you about today's
Iraq
09/19/2004 11:42 AM"In Sudan, the civilised world is (so far) doing everything to
conform with the UN charter, which means waiting till everyone's been
killed and then issuing a strong statement expressing grave
concern." .. MARK STEYN DOES IT
AGAIN:
telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2004/09/19/do
1902.xml
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"Mini-Me" battles model over "marriage"
(Reuters)
"Mini-Me" battles model over "marriage"
(Reuters)
06/10/2004 10:13 PMReuters - Call her Mrs. Mini-Me.
Bush Battles for Key States on Bus Tour
(Reuters)
Bush Battles for Key States on Bus Tour
(Reuters)
08/01/2004 06:55 AMReuters - President Bush drove through
two states on Saturday, trying to reassure voters that the U.S.
economy was getting stronger.
Shi'ite Militia Battles U.S.-Led Forces
in Kerbala (Reuters)
Shi'ite Militia Battles U.S.-Led Forces
in Kerbala (Reuters)
05/05/2004 01:13 AMReuters - U.S.-led forces battled Iraqi
Shi'ite Muslim militiamen in the holy city of Kerbala early on
Wednesday, killing three gunmen, witnesses and hospital sources
said.
Town Battles 'Demonic' Mystery Blazes
(Reuters)
Town Battles 'Demonic' Mystery Blazes
(Reuters)
02/11/2004 11:02 AMReuters - A Sicilian town is struggling to work out
why dozens of household items from fridge-freezers to furniture
keep mysteriously bursting into flame, terrifying locals and
sparking theories of demonic intervention.
Ukrainian Giant Battles Poverty,
Loneliness (Reuters)
Ukrainian Giant Battles Poverty,
Loneliness (Reuters)
05/13/2004 09:31 AMReuters - All Leonid Stadnyk wants
is a simple, quiet and inconspicuous life. But the 33-year old
Ukrainian is just too tall for that.
Bush, Kerry Set Aside Personal Battles
for Sept. 11 (Reuters)
Bush, Kerry Set Aside Personal Battles
for Sept. 11 (Reuters)
09/11/2004 12:46 PMReuters - President Bush and Democratic
challenger John Kerry muted their war of words on Saturday to
commemorate the Sept. 11 attacks in ways that managed to
underscore their campaign themes.
Electronics Industry Battles for the
Living Room (Reuters)
Electronics Industry Battles for the
Living Room (Reuters)
01/01/2005 10:35 AMReuters - The living room, once
the most technologically simple part of the average home, is a
high-tech battleground today as the consumer electronics
industry seeks to digitize home entertainment and make it
available anywhere, anytime.
Sicilian town battles "demonic" blazes
(Reuters)
Sicilian town battles "demonic" blazes
(Reuters)
02/11/2004 07:46 AMReuters - A Sicilian town is struggling to work out why dozens of
household items from fridge-freezers to furniture keep
mysteriously bursting into flame, terrifying locals and sparking
theories of demonic intervention.
sacbee.com -- Opinion -- Atrocities in
Iraq: 'I killed innocent people for our
government'
sacbee.com -- Opinion -- Atrocities in
Iraq: 'I killed innocent people for our
government'
05/18/2004 02:54 AMStaff Sgt. Jimmy Massey, "I killed innocent people for our
government." .. "What they need to know is we killed a lot of innocent
people." .. an
interview
sacbee.com/content/opinion/story/9316830p-10241546c.htmltrack
this site | 5 links
"sacbee.com -- Opinion -- Atrocities in
Iraq: 'I killed innocent people for our
government' "
"sacbee.com -- Opinion -- Atrocities in
Iraq: 'I killed innocent people for our
government' "
05/20/2004 03:58 AMAOL Media Player Beta Goes Public
AOL Media Player Beta Goes Public
04/13/2005 12:02 PMAOL has finally let loose its new media player beta to the general
public. As first reported by BetaNews, AOL Media Player (AMP) runs
independent of the company's client software and is one of many new
efforts to expose AOL products and services to Web users outside its
"walled garden" of subscribers.
Images of Lynch, England Reflect U.S.
Opinion of War (Reuters)
Images of Lynch, England Reflect U.S.
Opinion of War (Reuters)
05/27/2004 01:48 PMReuters - The vividly contrasting images of
American soldiers Jessica Lynch and Lynndie England, one
portrayed as a heroic victim and the other as depraved villain,
symbolize the souring of U.S. opinion of the Iraq war, experts
say.
Ars media public service announcement:
Caveat lector on the GOP computer file
scandal
Ars media public service announcement:
Caveat lector on the GOP computer file
scandal
01/23/2004 01:25 AMThere's a report in the Boston Globe today about GOP staffers'
infiltration of private Democratic memos via the repeated, systematic
and possibly widespread exploitation of a "security glitch."
Two more Iraq prison deaths made public
Two more Iraq prison deaths made public
05/05/2004 05:06 PMBush Sees Iraq Friend Berlusconi, Iraq
Foe Chirac (Reuters)
Bush Sees Iraq Friend Berlusconi, Iraq
Foe Chirac (Reuters)
06/04/2004 06:57 PMReuters - President Bush will thank an Iraq war
ally, Italy, and try to move beyond past differences with a war
critic, French President Jacques Chirac, in a hectic day of
diplomacy on Saturday.
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U.S. Battles for Public Opinion Through Media in Iraq (Reuters)
