Ugly War, Pretty Package: How CNN and Fox News Made the Invasion of Iraq High Concept
Television news treated the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 like a blockbuster action movie, according to media scholar Jaramillo. As news organizations have become more corporate and attentive to the bottom line, they have begun to treat viewers less like citizens who need to understand why we’re at war and how the war is proceeding and more like consumers to be entertained and enthralled. Jaramillo focuses on CNN and Fox News as the best (or is it worst?) examples of packaging war news as if it were a war film. She offers a painstaking analysis of the first five days of war coverage, demonstrating how the two networks adhered to the principles of high-concept Hollywood films: stars, character types, genres, simplified narratives, music, and a certain cinematographic “look.” The toppling of Saddam Hussein’s statue and the “rescue” of army private Jessica Lynch are among the dramatic narratives that helped sell the war to viewers, whatever their merits as actual news coverage. Jaramillo examines how embedded reporters, and analysts with connections to the Pentagon and defense contractors, stuck to the script provided by the Department of Defense to characterize the invasion as a story of revenge-seeking following the 9/11 terrorist attack on the U.S. Often overly academic, Jaramillo nevertheless offers a compelling and thought-provoking look at how the media covers war. --Vanessa Bush--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.