Hollywood Film Industry's Role In The Bush Administration

While political issues like these were slowly demoralising the soldiers fighting the war, the media were still telling a heavily rose-coloured version of the ‘truth’. When the television images were shown in America before 1968, the editors had policies about what to show: More specifically, there were guidelines that were designed to

On September 11, 2001, a series of terrorist attacks were directed for the United States by means of four hijacked planes. Two of which hit the twin towers of the World Trade Center, one hit the Pentagon, the headquarters of the Department of Defense, and the fourth crashed in a field near Pittsburg after it was meant to hit the White House. The terror spread in the United States and brought concern and fear to the citizens. The impact of these terrorist attacks caused serious and detrimental damages within the country, and their result on the people were enormous; insecurity, helplessness, and susceptibility spread. Especially after the release of a videotape in which Osama Bin Laden, head of Al-Qaeda, admitted that he was responsible for the terrorist attacks. Hence, President George W, Bush declared the “war on terror” against all terrorists in the Arab world, specifically Afghanistan and Iraq. In the following paper, we will be discussing how the war on terror was waged, its effects on the target countries, and how it was perceived by political thinkers, where some saw it as a conspiracy theory against the Arab countries, and others believed the USA was the victim.

So what did the people have to rely on for coverage of the war? They relied on Hollywood to tell of WWII’s heroic stories. The movie industry had taken over this generation as we became less of an intellectual and relied more on visual effects and entertainment for information. In the movies, viewers were lead on to believe that most wars scenes were about killing the evil bad guy and reigning in patriotic glory. While the “bad guys” got blown into oblivion, American soldiers rarely died, got injured, even bled for that matter. But not only did the movies warp how American’s viewed war, but the media had a twisted input on it as well. “But the news wasn’t manipulated only by censors. John Steinbeck, a tough minded writier who exposed human misery during the Depression, admitted that as a war reporter he deliberately slanted his stories to omit anything that might shock civilians. He didn’t report on the rotten conditions suffered by the infantry… (Adams 9). Eisenhower even said that “public opinion wins wars” (Adams 10). The news was altering the truth, and reporting it back to their loyal audiences all across America. Magazines like the Reader’s Digest boomed in the 1930’s with short and sweet stories that offered optimistic views towards the war (Adams 11).

The United States government has historically used propaganda to entice, encourage, and even shame a person into enlisting in to the uniformed services and/or supporting the war effort. The effective use of propaganda does not only affect the American public’s opinion of a war and its leaders, but also affects their commitment to the war effort. Ineffective use (or lack of) of propaganda can lead to resentment and undermine public trust in its leaders and their ability to lead the nation. This essay will show how the use of media has either supported or hindered the effective use of governmental propaganda in influencing the American public during times of war and why is it sometimes not important to know what is the “whole truth.” The areas that will be covered will be the propaganda used during the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, World War I-II, the Cold War/Vietnam, and also it’s affect on public opinion.

Whilst, towards the beginning of the war, the media being released was largely in support of the war efforts, later years of the conflict exhibited a more negative press, where more negative portrayals of troops were being sent home and featured on the news. Bias of the media played a large part in moulding public opinion of the conflict going on in Vietnam, exemplified in media reports of the Tet Offensive which, “was actually a U.S victory because the North suffered enormous casualties. Television, however, portrayed the attack as a brutal defeat for the U.S” (McLaughlin 2015, The Turning Point, para. 2). As hypothesised by David Halberstam, Vietnam was, “the first time in American history a war had been declared over by an anchor man,” (Hallin n.d., para. 9) when Walter Cronkite, “[expressed] his view that the war was unwinnable, and that the United States would have to find a way out.” (Hallin n.d., para. 9) Many speculations about the media defining public opinion about the war are made largely due to the fact that civilian opinion changed as media reports began to become more negative, which then lead to many anti-war protests and the withdrawal of troops from Vietnam. Due to the negative effects the lack of censorship had on the public during Vietnam, the government recognised the power of the media and changed censorship practices for following

Robert Elegant’s quote explains the significant role the media played in the Vietnam War. This essay will argue that the media’s effect was one dominant aspect of why the United States lost the war in Vietnam. Looking in detail at the heavily televised ‘Tet Offensive’, this essay will suggest that this series of battles was the beginning of the decisive part the media played in influencing public opinion. It is worth nothing that there are several factors involved in why the United States lost the Vietnam War, but this essay will focus on just one. Overall, it

Even after war, groups will always produce media with the intent of influencing the public. “Meet King Joe,” for example, is a post World War II film that follows Joe on an educational journey where he learns about how the American economy works to make his life better. The other post World War II film to be analyzed, “Don’t Be a Sucker,” follows Mike as a wise stranger tells him about how, as Americans, we should all be tolerant of each others differences lest we become like Nazi Germany. Both of these films utilize Plain Folks appeals and other techniques in an effort to influence public opinion; but one is black, deceptive, and unethical propaganda while the other may be closer to a rational attempt at persuasion than a piece of propaganda.

The second World War brought untold suffering to million across the globe, but it also launched the United States into the position of a superpower for the next 50 years. With the utter destruction of nations across Europe, Africa, and Asia, both winners and losers, America easily assumed a dominant position in the coming international system and captured the ability to reconstruct the world using its high democratic ideals. The United States was the most powerful nation in the world. It is said that absolute power corrupts absolutely, and with postwar America it was no different. Given the unilateral power to spread its ideals of self-determination, liberty, equality, and individualism; America instead effectively subverted these principles not only around the world, but domestically as well. The unlimited global power and Cold War paranoia of the postwar years to the assassination of John F. Kennedy proved a fatal mixture to American ideals. As World War II came to a close, the United States gained the world as the most powerful country on earth; But to maintain this power it sadly reverted to the imperalism abraod and the Red Scare at home; its reversion made her loose her soul. These hypocritical actions and policies shaped a new world not set by democratic and liberal ideals of FDR’s “Four Points,” but by the power motivated creeds of repression, greed, and violence. In the race to fill the power vacuum created by World War II, the United States abandoned its civic

The methods that people nowadays use to get news of any kind, whether it be sports, weather, or global, have changed drastically from the time where news was only available through newspapers and radio stations. Regarding terrorism, the media is the only source of information, unless it is a primary account of a soldier who had been at war. However, the media is able to manipulate any story to make someone or something either look good or bad. This is exactly what happened after the occurrence of 9/11. The media, along with the government, caught the wave of nationalism sweeping across the country and built news stories favoring America. For example, not many people talk about how the American government in 1990, intervened in the Middle East after Iraq invaded Kuwait, which could be a possible cause for the attacks of 9/11. This event and many other instances of American intervention in the Middle East have been swept under the rug by the U.S. government through the media. These incidences were all put forth as necessary steps to protect “our” best interests in the region. John Steinbrink, a professor of education and Jeremy Cook, a doctoral candidate at Oklahoma State University, used the media’s coverage of the aftermath of 9/11 as an example for education in media literacy, which is “the ability to read, understand, and interpret the influence of all forms of media in one’s life” (284). Using

He tackles the well-known notion World War Two was the best war to be fought by Americans through the creation of myths one sees in today’s society. He takes the reader through the role of media during World War Two and even after the war ended. Adams showed just how big of an impact the media had on the American people and their viewpoints of the war. During the war the media were heavily censored, they never really showed the hardship of the soldiers fighting; they showed what the Americans at home wanted to see. Many of the myths have been generated by the way media portrayed the war while the fighting happens. Pearl Harbor was used as a rally cry for the American people to join in the war and Soldiers were needed to revenge the

Human beings are influenced by what they see, hear, or read on the news. Today we have several sources to receive news: newspapers, internet, and radio. However, with this information people come to question what is truly the truth. The Cable News Network (CNN) displays footage of current events happening all around the world. This well-known 24-hour news broadcasting system began to change its traditional pattern of news began to encapsulate the way media directs the foreign policy formulation. For the individuals behind the scenes, including policy makers and academics, the 1990’s was a time of media empowerment and growth. Piers Robinson thesis in the “CNN effect revisited” is the ways in which the media influences foreign policy formulation, socially and politically. In his argumentative essay, Robinson discusses the development of foreign policy since the “war on terror” and the “humanitarian war.” Additionally, Robinson discusses the ways media intervened with political decisions and how the media’s voice created military action. The media that has the privilege to voice opinions, can result in less freedom for the press

Fahrenheit 9/11 is a 2004 documentary film by a well-known American Film maker, director and political commentator Michael Moore. The film takes a serious critical look at the presidency of George W. Bush, the war on terror 9/11, and its overall coverage in the news media. In the film, Michael Moore argues that American corporate media were basically “cheerleaders” for the 2003 invasion of Iraq and did not provide at all an objective or accurate analysis of the reasoning for the war or the resulting causalities there. The film generated very intense controversy, including disputes over its basic accuracy. Michael more provides a deep way of thinking on the insights of the American security system, fear, Uncertainty, Paranoia, all combined together

Recently, the thirty-four nation hemispheric summit was held in Argentina. Since then, it seems as though the newspaper as well as the Middle East take pleasure in reminding the public that George W. Bush is now receiving his lowest approval ratings ever; glooming from the controversial Iraqi War, soaring gas prices, and political scandals involving his administration. In the United States, our newspapers talk about the rioters and demonstrations that have evolved during this week long campaign. Our media is more focused on portraying foreigners as wrongdoers as they throw rocks, hold up signs, and litter the streets with profanity that proclaims Bush as the devil. In another issue, the United States a short time ago reached 2000 military deaths. In the United States, some may say this is a small price to pay to liberate a country of secularism and hatred. On the contrary, the foreign media says, "This is a sign of failure for the United States." While also proclaiming that the world's largest and most powerful military power cannot bring security or stability to a country two and half years after the collapse of the Saddam Hussein regime. It is simple to see the cynicism that foreign media puts on American efforts.

When it comes to foreign policy and America's role in the world, we are rarely a true democracy; we rarely even have much idea of what is going on. This veil of ignorance has contributed in no small part to the endless series of ghastly events. If we are to prevent a repetition of them, we as citizens must reclaim some authority over our role in the world, and not simply endorse every "war on terrorism."

“If the media were not there to report terrorist acts and to explain their political and social significance...terrorism as such would cease to exist” said John O'Sullivan, an editor of the Times of London.1 This is also the way many other people feel about the recent increase in terrorist activity; they feel that the media is causing it. The media is doing this by fulfilling the terrorists' need for publicity.2 Terrorists need media publicity in order to get their views spread to the public.3 Because of this need for publicity, terrorists are committing their acts of terrorism in areas where a lot of publicity will be gained; the United States and Western Europe are the most recent targets. The bombings of the federal building in