War and the Media: Propaganda and Persuasion in the Gulf War [Paperback]

Philip M. Taylor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1992 | ISBN-10: 0719037549 | ISBN-13: 978-0719037542

This is a work about how the Allied coalition and the government of Iraq attempted to influence, utilize and manipulate the ways in which the Gulf War was presented by the media to the outside world between mid-January and early March, 1991. The book also concentrates upon the point at which the war and the media came together on both sides to form propaganda and offers a preliminary examination of psychological warfare methods employed during the war.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This book by a British communications specialist emphasizes the British media more than they deserve, given America's predominant role in the war. Relying mainly on secondary sources rather than on interviews with media and military representatives, Taylor dryly documents how the Gulf war was more hidden than revealed by the media. He analyzes allied media management, including the pool system for reporters, and Saddam Hussein's failure to exploit the presence of the media. Taylor offers numerous examples of media mistakes, including the erroneous representation of oil-drenched birds as victims of the Iraqi oil spill and journalists' inability to translate military jargon about bombing sorties. Perhaps most useful are case studies of controversial instances of coverage, including the Iraqi takeover of a Saudi town and the bombing of Iraqi civilians at what might have been a bunker. This book leaves numerous holes, little exploring, for instance, why so few pictures of Iraqi casualties were shown in the West. Taylor's conclusions about the unanimity of news coverage and the debate over the right to know versus the need to know simply reprise often-stated criticisms.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“The book is a good and useful summary of British and American media coverage of the Gulf War.” —Intelligence and National Security

“A well written and well documented book that will be a useful reference for scholars and journalists who want to examine the role of the media in what turned into the highest profile media war in history.” —Journal of Peace Research

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Manchester Univ Pr (April 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0719037549
• ISBN-13: 978-0719037542
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,153,028 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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