Chad Henry
I reference the YouTube clips in the paper. They are about 3mins each.
Syria
intervention and the Media
Since it was introduced into homes during the 1950’s the
television has had a profound impact on American society. It has gone from the
“nucleus” of every family, as it was often found in living rooms, to the
primary dispenser of information. Today 61% of Americans rely on either cable
or network television for news while on average Americans watch 3.5 hours of TV
a day. These numbers show that news media has not only the potential, but more
importantly the ability to shape public perception. [1] [2]
Those two pieces of data point towards a growing problem
in our society and it is the overreliance on the television for information.
This would not be a problem if cable and network television’s primary goal was
to disseminate information and educate the public. Their goal is not the spread
of educational information, but corporate profits and viewer ratings. As a
result news media has become nothing more than entertainment cloaked in a thin
veil disguised as news.
Above is a clip of a round table discussion on Fareed
Zarkaria’s GPS show on CNN. Throughout the short clip many of the deficiencies
of the current structure of the news media can be seen. An emphasis on profits
rather than informative and accurate news coverage leads to the watering down
of complex events and a dumbed down version of events is presented to the
public as a result. This not only leads to misinformation but also leads to
stereotypes and the rise of demagogues. In an oversimplified narrative it is
essential that everything is black and white or good vs. evil, when in reality
most things are never that simply. Because of an overreliance on ad revenue,
news media has decided it is not in their economic interest to convey “real”
news.
This decision to not only dumb down intricate and complex
situations but to also use talking points in the place of factual or historical
information has had negative consequences. Most news segments are short and
offer sensational or catastrophic pictures and video alongside the watered down
talking points. This type of news coverage does nothing more than entertain the
audience while at the same time perpetuate stereotypes and create a mindset
which makes the viewer susceptible to fear mongering and demagoguery. The clip shown above is on the Syrian civil
war and how the use of talking points to argue for U.S intervention can lead to
unrealistic and negative perceptions of Muslims as well as Middle Easterners. One
of the talking points used in the clip was by Anne Marie Slaughter was that it
is the obligation of the U.S to help the Syrian rebels in their struggle for
democracy against the Assad government. There are two common portrayals of
Muslims and Arabs on news media, they are either medieval and in need of our
assistance in achieving a democratic utopia or they are religious fanatics who
are prone to violence. With the onset of the Arab Spring the new wave of
generalizations has been, we must help them in the quest for freedom and
democracy. This statement is constantly made without any explanation of the
country’s history, the various ethnic and religious demographics of the
country, and most importantly the groups on the ground in the country who are
wrestling for control. In regards to the Syria clip the major problems with
Anne Marie Slaughters segment was that 1) Most Americans are not familiar with
Syria or the region 2) The Syrian opposition is divided and that it is no
longer a fight for democracy, but a sectarian civil war between Sunnis and
Shias. Because emotions are a very powerful tool which can be used by
politicians in order to mold public opinion in favor of their agendas, emotions
as well as morality are used by Anne Marie Slaughter to invoke support for
military intervention in Syria. She states that the Assad regimes use of
chemical weapons calls for U.S action. The past decade the phrase “Weapons of
Mass Destruction (WMDs)” has become infamous due to the invasion of Iraq. Now
as I stated earlier it is the job of the news media to provide informative
analysis. At the time of the CNN roundtable the death toll in Syria was
estimated at around 90,000 with 100-150 of those deaths being attributed to
chemical weapons. That means that 0.1% of the total casualties have been caused
by chemical weapons. In addition chemical weapons have been used by both sides
during the conflict and the 90,000 deaths have been suffered and inflicted by
both sides in the conflict. Those very important pieces of information were not
in the CNN clip.
One
could argue that omitting that data from a news report or talking point is
harmless, but Saddam Hussein possessing and using chemical weapons was cited as
one of the reasons for Iraq War. Because we fear “WMDs” this fear can be used
in order to mobilize public support for interventions. Another phrase used
multiple times throughout the clip is “No Fly Zone.” Most people, unless they
served in the military, probably are not familiar with the term. Well it is
essentially controlling another countries air space through military force.
What this entails is the destruction of a countries air defense networks,
command and control centers, and the grounding or eliminating of their air
power. Anne Marie briefly explains the term but does not explain that a No Fly Zone
not only violates a country’s sovereignty but it is essentially a declaration
of war. At the end of the clip Richard Haass explains that a No Fly Zone would
mean going to war, but there is usually no one to rebut when the term is used
casually with little explanation. Using terms or words without explaining or
fully grasping what they entail in cases like this can be dangerous.
News
media portrays Middle Easterns countries as homogenous populations and nothing
could be further from the truth. Syria is a very diverse country consisting of
Alawites, Sunnis, Catholics, Greek Orthodox Christians, Maranite Christians,
Druzes, and Kurds. At the end of the clip Richard Haass points out that the
opposition is only united in the fight to remove Assad from power. While that
is true there is breakdown of the make-up of the country or the opposition. The
fact that Assad is an Alawite (Shia) and that Alawites make up 12% of Syria’s
population but 80% of the military officers and that Iran is supporting the
Shia Assad government while the Sunni gulf states (Saudi Arabia and Qatar) are
supporting the Sunni rebel groups. Iran’s support for Syria is always included
in the talking points for reasons to support the opposition, but the reasons
for their support are never explained. A regional Sunni vs. Shia struggle is
unfolding not only in Syria but in Iraq, Lebanon, and Bahrain as well and a
detailed explanation, which would also help explain the events is Syria, is
never offered on television. Instead the struggle for democracy line is used as
it is much easier to sell even if it does not reflect reality.
One
of the casualties of the creation of massive media conglomerates has not only
been smaller independent media outlets, but the quality of news. Because Time
Warner Cable owns CNN, News Corp owns FOX, and NBC/Universal owns MSNBC, CNBC,
and Telemundo, the variety as well the type of news seen on TV has transformed.
In order to bring in revenue station must go to commercial break and play ads.
This means 1/3 to ½ of allotted time is dedicated to ads while the remainder of
the time is dedicated to sensationalist stories or catastrophic events. Things
like the Syrian Civil War require time and detail, the 2 minute segments
showing clips of Arabs firing RPGs do nothing to educate the audience and
further build upon negative stereotypes. [3] [4]
Since 9/11 the word “terrorist” has become synonymous
with Arabs and Muslims and the image that comes to mind is one of an Arab in a
turban with a long beard. It is never explicitly stated on news media that
people who fit this description are terrorists. But a picture or images of
people who fit that description will be shown alongside a segment on terrorism
or images of violence or explosions will be shown. Because this has been going
on for more than a decade our subconscious now immediately links terrorism with
Arabs and Muslims. This word/image recognition is a direct result of news media
stories and has led to profiling and hate crimes against Arabs and Muslims. It
has seeped so deep into the subconscious of people that when acts of terrorism
like the Aurora movie theater shooting occur, many sympathize with the white
male shooter arguing that he must have been mentally disturbed or that
something went wrong in his childhood. That type of rhetoric and sympathy is
nonexistent when the perpetrator is Arab or Muslim.
Because
we live in a democratic society an educated and informed public (electorate) is
essential to our democracy. It is the duty of the news media to inform their
audiences and not doing so is a disservice. At the same time people must
recognize that news media should not be their primary source of information. In
the age of the smart phone and internet we are able to effortlessly obtain
limitless amounts of information. So if cable and network news stations fail to
do their jobs it is up to the individual to be proactive and get the
information themselves.
3.) The State of Media Ownership and
Media Markets: Competition or Concentration and Why Should We Care?
Dwayne Winseck pg19
4.) The Meaning of Memory: Family,
Class, and Ethnicity in Early Network Television Programs
George Lipsitz pg25
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