But since the media itself is split right and left, I don't think the media could ever make us lose a war. Eventually the facts on the ground emerge, and the two sides debate the future course of action.
Once you count in Al Jazeera, the BBC, and CNN international, the Media is split about 95% left and 5% right. And yes, a relentless barrage of Tet-Offensive style reports can lose a war that could otherwise have been won.
Why hasn't right-wing media been able to keep the public behind the war?
Even just in America, Fox, the Wall Street Journal, and Talk Radio - the main right wing outlets, aren't one tenth the strength of CBS, ABC, NBC, CNN, the New York Times, The Washington Post, the LA Times, etc. and other traditional news media gatekeepers.
The gatekeepers are losing strength - after all, they are badly out of tune with half their audience for a start, but they are still much stronger. Considering the way the Iraq war has been reported as a daily barrage of Americans dead for no reasong whatsoever - the media scarcely ever mention what the dead soldiers were doing - it's sort of amazing that support didn't tank long ago. I ascribe it to the very different reports that military personnel have been giving to their families. |
