At the beginning of the Gulf War the press was mainly supportive of the United States’ actions. Mainstream media played an instrumental role in delivering public support for the war and President Bush’s agenda. The news agencies understood that to attract viewers they would have to make the U.S. look good and Iraq look bad. “This typifies the mainstream media portrayal, as do a number of other characteristics: naming, or characterizing war as peace; dehumanizing the Iraqis; portraying Hussein as the Antichrist; playing up the terrorist threat; claiming war was the final resort after failed diplomacy.” (Winter 30) By doing those things the media painted a bad picture on Iraq and the government gained support because of it.
Once the war got underway, the United States and its allies struck swiftly and with force. “In the Gulf war, about 2000 bombings raids were conducted daily on Iraq. In the first week of the air war, the US dropped twice the tonnage of bombs dropped on Germany during 1944.” (Winter, 30) Air to surface combat was being used extensively for the first time. The U.S. was also using new technology and weapons that have not been tested in war before. Mistakes always occurred and these mistakes hit the airwaves fast. The news stations would often show live shots of destroyed cities. They would claim that a missed bombing attempt killed innocent civilians. “But while media and public remained riveted to technical displays of the laser-guided wizardry of the Cruise and Patriot missiles, US officials admitted that only 60 per cent of the laser-guided bombs hit their target, so 2 out of 5 missed, ‘sometimes by thousands of feet.’” (Winter 31) This would fuel war protestors and create more havoc for the government. Smart-bombs that have gone “dumb,” were the headlines of many major papers. Any mistake that was being made was shown to millions of people. Because of this the government had two wars to fight: the war on Iraq, and the war on the media.
Rumors were being spread that Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi leader, was watching CNN for updates of the American strikes. The U.S. had to prevent classified information from leaking so that the armed forces could remain safe and the strikes remain secretive. To handle the media problem the United States sent hundreds of public relations officers to the gulf. “At a recent forum on press restrictions set by the military during the gulf war, [David Corn] recalled that when he was reporting from the region he was shocked by how many public affairs officers were deployed by the military. ‘We're talking about hundreds of people at the squadron, wing command and ship level.’" (Corn 548) The strikes became more and more secretive but the media continued its practices and caused problems for the government. “But the main problem was with the mass media. Self-censorship, self-deception, unexamined bias and just plain cowardice subverted facts, obscured history and occluded criticism better than any imposed regime could have done.” (The Nation 687)
Many compare the media coverage of the Gulf to Vietnam. Vietnam was the first war to be “televised.” Never before had Americans been able to see footage of the war in their own houses. Ratings flew off the charts during those years and the media knew that wars were a goldmine. During Vietnam the government did not regulate what was being reported. The media would show all the cruelty of war and it would upset its viewers. The people of the U.S. began to protest that this was not their war to fight. The government got stuck in a hole and could not dig out. This almost occurred with the Gulf War. This time the pentagon learned from its mistakes and began censoring some of the coverage. Luckily, the people of America did the opposite as Vietnam and supported the fight.
The media is a sly unpredictable force. You never know how one may report the news and from what view they are reporting. Over time the press has become more and more influential in American life. During the Persian Gulf War the media showed many sides. From positive propaganda to the pessimistic analysis, the news companies reported a wide range of stories throughout the war. The government and media keep each other in check, without one the other would dominate the country. So is the media a friend or foe? That question really depends on the stance of the readers or listeners. The audience is the deciding factor in whether the media is harmful or helpful.
Works Cited
Corn, David. “Flacks, hacks, and Iraq.” The Nation. 252.16 (1991): 548. Expanded Academic ASAP. U of Kansas, Lawrence. 4 October 2002. <>.
The Nation. “Media engulfed.” 252.20 (1991): 687-688. Expanded Academic ASAP. U of Kansas, Lawrence. 4 October 2002. <>.
Winter, James. “How the media went to war.” Canadian Dimension. 25.4 (1991): 30-34. Expanded Academic ASAP. U of Kansas, Lawrence. 4 October 2002. <>.
