The Media and Operation Iraqi Freedom, 2003 Prof. Phil Taylor Institute of Communications Studies, University of Leeds, UK p.m.taylor@leeds.ac.uk www.leeds.ac.uk/ics/phillink.html

The media as a mirror of official national policy positions In the US, largely pro-war In Germany, France and Russia, largely anti-war In Britain, media were split In Spain and Italy, media anti-war but Spanish government openly pro-war, Berlusconi silently pro-war

US TV Coverage 20 March - 9 April, 1617 Iraqi stories examined on 6 evening network news (ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, Fox and PBS) 64% of sources used were pro-war, 71% of guests were pro-war

International Image of US Pew Research Centre survey, March 2003, revealed that 35% of Italians viewed US positively, as cf. 70% in 2002 In Spain, only 14% had favourable image

Embedding the Media 600 print, radio and TV reporters accompanied the troops The British reporters ‘pooled’ their copy; US reporters did not Another 1000 unilaterals; 14 killed ‘We were looking at the battlefield through 600 straws. It was difficult to contextualize it’ (Paul Slavin, Exec Prod of ABC’s ‘World News Tonight’)