1. Communications & Conflict
Lecture 1
War and the Media

2. Key issues and concepts
Real War vs. ‘Media War’
‘Illusions of Reality’
The war reporter as mythmaker
The impact of television
How much can be shown?
How much should be shown?
The ‘tyranny of real-time’

3. Real War vs. ‘Media War’
Real war is about the brutal nasty business of killing people, punctuated by boredom, often at a distance
The nature of aerial warfare
Media war is about mediation, always at a distance
Perception Gap

4. Illusions of Reality Issues of taste and decency
OPSEC and protection of families
The ‘first casualty’
From ‘the fog of war’ to the ‘snowstorm of information’

5. The war reporter as mythmaker
Patriotism vs. propaganda
Military management of the media
Military deception
Journalistic compliance – watchdog or lapdog?
Reporting from the ‘other side’
The ‘journalism of attachment’

6. The impact of TV ‘The camera never lies’?
A picture paints a thousand words
Vietnam,
The arrival of colour TV
The arrival of global satellite TV
The arrival of real-time TV

7. How much can be shown?
Do people want to see ‘real war’ on TV, especially when the kids are watching?
Wars tend to be fought at night or at a distance
Reporters only get an ‘ant’s eye view’
Do we expect too much from them?

8. How much should be shown?
Desensitisation and compassion fatigue
Why would/should we want to see ‘real war’?
To protect ourselves or the troops?
Or to shield us from ‘the truth’?

9. The ‘tyranny of real-time’
Live TV is exciting but is it accurate?
How is censorship possible anymore?
Cameras are everywhere
The ‘citizen journalist’
New kids on the block – or blog

10. Conclusions The gap between real war and media war is very wide
This is not just due to military management of media but it is also inherent to war reporting
Media reports are the ‘first (rough) drafts of history’