Mass Media, Mass Propaganda

This work examines how the mainstream American media reacts to pro-war and anti-war themes throughout the 'War on Terror' in regards to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Using a political economy approach, the author addresses the ways in which corporations that own media reinforce official doctrines and propaganda by contrasting the content of American media to that of other global media.

Mass Media, Mass Propaganda analyzes a wide range of issues, domestic and international, concerning American and global news coverage of the U.S. 'War on Terror.' Topics reviewed include: media coverage of the invasion and occupation of Iraq, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, Iraqi civil war and resistance to occupation, September 11th and 'Operation Enduring Freedom' in Afghanistan, human rights violations in Iraqm domestic anti-way dissent and censorship, and potential future targets in the 'War on Terror.' This work approaches the study of media through a political economy analysis, examining the ways in which the American corporate media works to reinforce official views and propaganda, and the ways in which it challenges official pro-war platforms. A comparative approach is taken in contrasting the American mass media with other media institutions from the Progressive-Left American press, the British and Australian press, and Arab electronic media. Major models analyzed and evaluated throughout this work include the 'Propaganda Model,' developed by Noam Chomsky and Edward Herman, and the 'Indexing Model,' elaborated upon by scholars such as W. Lance Bennett, Steven Livingston, and Jonathan Mermin.

Chapter 1 Table of Contents
Chapter 2 Introduction: Understanding the News in the War on Terror
Chapter 3 1 Public Trust, Media, and the War on Terror
Chapter 4 2 All the News that's Fit to Omit: A Background to Pro-War Media
Chapter 5 3 Weapons of Mass Diversion
Chapter 6 4 The Media's War
Chapter 7 5 Railing Iraqi Resistance: Insurgency, Militias, and the Unfolding Civil War
Chapter 8 6 Free Speech Fatalities
Chapter 9 7 A World of Orwellian Doublethink
Chapter 10 8 Doctrines of Media and State: Hailing Humanitarianism, Dismissing Disaster
Chapter 11 9 Catapult the Media
Chapter 12 10 Afghanistan and 9/11: The War on Terror Declared
Chapter 13 11 A Game Plan for Infinite War?
Chapter 14 Conclusion: A Movement for Progressive Media Reform
Chapter 15 Bibliography
Chapter 16 Index
Chapter 17 About the Author