How the Media Partnered With Hezbollah: Harvard's Cautionary Report

[msmcghee]

http://worldpoliticswatch.com/article.aspx?id=717

22 Apr 2007
World Politics Watch Exclusive

While the war between Israel and Hezbollah raged in Lebanon and Israel last summer, it became clear that media coverage had itself started to play an important role in determining the ultimate outcome of that war. It seemed clear that news coverage would affect the course of the conflict. And it quickly transpired that Hezbollah would become the beneficiary of the media's manipulation.

A close examination of the media's role during the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war in Lebanon comes now from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, in an analysis of the war published in a paper whose subtitle should give pause to journalists covering international conflict: "The Israeli-Hezbollah War of 2006: The Media as a Weapon in Asymmetrical Conflict." Marvin Kalb, of Harvard's Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy, methodically traces the transformation of the media "from objective observer to fiery advocate." Kalb painstakingly details how Hezbollah exercised absolute control over how journalists portrayed its side of the conflict, while Israel became "victimized by its own openness."

The lessons from the Harvard paper go well beyond historic analysis. Kalb's thoroughly and persuasively documented case points to the challenges to journalists in future "asymmetrical" conflicts in which a radical militia provides access only to journalists agreeing to the strictest of rules.

Journalists did Hezbollah's work, offering little resistance to the Islamic militia's effort to portray itself as an idealistic and heroic army of the people, facing an aggressive and ruthless enemy. With Hezbollah's unchallenged control of journalists' access within its territory, it managed to almost completely eliminate from the narrative crucial facts, such as the fact that it deliberately fired its weapons from deep within civilian population centers, counting on Israeli forces to have no choice but defend themselves by targeting rocket launchers where they stood. Hezbollah's strong support from Syria and Iran -- including the provision of deadly weapons -- faded in the coverage, as the conflict increasingly became portrayed as pitting one powerful army against a band of heroic defenders of a civilian population.

<snip>

[Englander]

1. Seen this?

LittleGreenFootballs or late German Fascists?
http://www.randomwalks.com/2004/04/the_lgf_quiz.html

[bemildred]

2. The cartoon show is not bad either.

I haven't been around drmenlo in a while. Sometimes I play with the notion that these ideas or images are some sort of jungian archetypes that bubble up in societies under stress. The comparison with the more jingo side of US political rhetoric has been evident for a long time, some of the WWI anti-german and anti-commie propaganda is similar in taste and style.

The OP is blame-projection drivel. When you get to the point where you lose wars because of the traitorous press, it isn't really the traitorous press.

A piece on the Israeli censor and her powers:

AP Reveals Israeli Censorship, Says It Will Abide By Rules

JERUSALEM Here's some news you may never hear about Israel's war against Hezbollah: a missile falls into the sea, a strategic military installation is hit, a Cabinet minister plans to visit the front lines.

All these topics are subject to review by Israel's chief military censor, who has -- in her own words -- "extraordinary power." She can silence a broadcaster, block information and put journalists in jail.

"I can, for example, publish an order that no material can be published. I can close a newspaper or shut down a station. I can do almost anything," Col. Sima Vaknin said Wednesday.

Israel believes that as a small country in a near constant state of conflict, having a say over what information gets out to the world is vital to its security. Critics say the policy is a slippery slope not fit for a democracy.

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002876486

[pelsar]

3. LGF TOUCHED IT.....its has the kuddies!!!!!

Harvard's Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy, methodically traces the transformation of the media "from objective observer to fiery advocate." Kalb painstakingly details how Hezbollah exercised absolute control over how journalists portrayed its side of the conflict, while Israel became "victimized by its own openness."


guess Harvard should have known better to post something that LGF might link to thereby poisoning it and rendering it "worthless"

(i like to call it "cyber racism" content is rendered worthless if its on the "wrong website"....kind of like racism of past: the wrong vessel i.e. black skin, slanted eyes, etc and the inner workings are rendered worthless)

[Violet_Crumble]

4. I got 85%...

I did that quiz once before a few years back, and even though I was watching out for the giveaway stuff like mentions of statehood and genocide (the word genocide didn't exist in the time of the nazis), I still missed out on getting a few right...

[bemildred]

5. I got 77%. Better than I expected.

Some of them do have giveaways.

[Shaktimaan]

8. 92! got one wrong. they're tricksy.

[Tom Joad]

6. Spiro Agnew Lives!

[bemildred]

7. "Nattering nabobs of negativism". Indeed. nt