Journalism is a complex network of varying professional channels, sources, information, and influences. Despite the canons of journalism (Rodman 96), wartime coverage can be warped by the influence of nationalism and by the scope of information from public relations professionals, as depicted in Control Room. Regardless of these factors, journalism’s worth is still priceless, especially in our society where the press acts as a government watchdog and a bridge of knowledge between the people and the ever-changing world.
As seen in Control Room, wartime journalism can be dictated by public relations professionals because these industries are mutually dependent. Dependence is created because independent investigation is not only dangerous …show more content…
Most public relations professionals during war are synonymous with military officials, creating a conflict of interest. Journalists are supposed to be watching over the very institution they are using as a source. An example of this dependence comes from the scene in Control Room when U.S. tanks took a victory lap through Baghdad. At the same time,Iraqi teens rushed the streets, toppling the Hussein statue in the town square. Here, the U.S. military essentially created a publicity stunt, an action designed to create a human interest story (Rodman 344), to garner support for the war back in the U.S. and to persuade Iraqis watching to hop on the bandwagon. The military framed this as a monumental event when in fact, most of the crowd was journalists and soldiers. The event was heavily reported and played countless times on television. What was neglected by news networks was the aerial view of the event. Upon zooming out, you could see that the scope of …show more content…
The U.S. promoted the Iraq war as necessary to keep America safe due to Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction and ties with terrorists. Americans also went to war with the nationalistic belief that our superiority could help Iraqis establish a democracy. The military utilized community relations or tactics used to create a positive image locally, nationally and internationally (Rodman 346). Most of our motives were tied to our own self interests of oil control and safety. However, American reporters actively covered our more honorable, nationalistic motive of emancipating Iraqis with democracy, assuming our political ideals were suitable and attainable for Iraq. The military effectively disguised our control seeking agenda, painting America as a heroic liberator, feeding the image to the public of the U.S. and Iraq. Al Jazeera was also accused of being nationalistic in their reporting. Their disgust with the war led them to report more on the human cost among Iraqi civilians. U.S. critics called this type of reporting anti-American as it framed the U.S. as bloodthirsty and failed to frame Hussein as a threat to Muslims. By showing deaths at the hands of Americans, Al Jazeera created support for Iraqis fighting to regain their country from the U.S. and Hussein. The graphic images worked to inspire Iraqis to stand up for their pride in their precious homeland. Although Iraqis may have wanted freedom, they