Phil Taylor's papers
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BACK TO : PROPAGANDA AND THE GLOBAL 'WAR' ON TERROR (GWOT) Years 1 and 2, ie 9/11-2003
Links to relevant articles and websites This page has been put together following the September 11th 2001 attack on New York, and the declaration of 'war on terrorism'. Links compiled by P. M. Taylor. 
MEMRI - website of The Middle East Media and Research Institute (MEMRI), a non-profit organization providing translations of the Arabic and Farsi media and original analysis and research on developments in the Middle East. You may want to consult this Guardian article first.
'The Propaganda War' - article in The Economist on 4 October which prompted this page.
Plenty of relevant material to all sorts of current events, including the war against terror
Why the U.S. is losing the propaganda war by Eric Boehlert -Argues that foolish decisions, nervous allies and not enough Arabic speakers mean Muslims around the world aren't getting America's side of the story.
'Lost in the Rhetorical Fog of War' by Robert Fisk
'The disinformation campaign' by Phillip Knightley - Argues that Western media follow a depressingly familiar formula when it comes to the preparation of a nation for conflict
The role of Public Information in the fight against Terrorism
Relevant issues complied by the MediaChannel.org
'US puts squeeze on Israel amid fears over propaganda battle' by Ewen MacAskill and Suzanne Goldenberg in Jerusalem and Michael White in Cairo. From 'The Guardian' newspaper, 12 October 2001
The Terrorism Research Centre
Al-Jazeera goes it alone
Al-Jazeera hailed as Arab CNN - An article in Time magazine
U.S. propaganda to Taliban: 'You are condemned' - Content of PSYOPs, including the leaflet dropped on Afghanistan mid-October
Other US PSYOP themes - As reported by CNN.com
International Federation of Journalists website
To Win Them Over: The Fight for Good PR in the Arab World - by Andrew Chang of ABCnews.com
Psychological warfare waged in Afghanistan by Emma Young (10 October 01) - Another piece about PSYOPS from The New Scientist
Globalsecurity.org - Best site for satellite imagery of Operation Enduring Freedom - amongst other things. A very comprehensive site.
Department of Defence (Pentagon) press releases
Al Jazeera's Unwitting Role in the 'Unrestricted' Afghan War A well-informed piece linking to role of Al Jazeera to 'information warfare'
Keep up to date with relevant media issues at Internews - Often with stories that do not penetrate the mainstream media but also has some mainstream media articles from US.
Psychological warfare - Keep up to date with PSYOPS issues relating to the conflict on clandestineradio.com - one of the best sites for PSYOPs anywhere ¬Found=true
The War of Ideas - from the Washington Post
Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence at St. Andrew's University
Special Operation training manual - Chapter 2 talks about psychological operations ¬Found=true
'We can't win if we're not heard' by Robert Stewart of the Washington Post, talks of 'weapons of mass communication'.
Critical media analysis from Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) - Numerous articles by renowned media analysts including Norman Solomon
Al Jazerra website - now in English. You can also view the station's output at 6.30 am and 1.30pm (GMT) on Sky if you are a subscriber. ¬Found=true
Hollywood goes to war? - An article in The Washington Post about preliminary contacts between the White House and US film industry representatives, citing Frank Capra's role in WWII. Don't know about Capra? See here. For other aspects of the relationship of war and Hollywood see here.
In war of words, US lags behind: From food aid to news interviews, US steps up 'public diplomacy' in Mideast. By Francine Kiefer and Ann Scott Tyson of the Christian Science Monitor
'Straw accuses media of 'wobble' in war coverage' by Michael White of The Guardian (29 October 2001) One of our 'trends to watch for' in the slide presentation
'Pentagon hires firm to help with war PR' by Julia Day, also of The Guardian (26 October 2001)
'Viewers greet Sept 11 TV coverage with cynicism' by Claire Cozens of The Guardian (October 26, 2001)
Secretary Rumsfeld says he will not lie to the press & which is not to say that the whole truth can be told
'US attempts to shore up support for war' by Claire Cozens of The Guardian (October 30, 2001)
'The war on journalism' By Paul McMasters - Argues that 'at a time when public diplomacy abroad and public reassurance at home should be a crucial component of the war on terrorism, U.S. government officials are moving forcefully to restrict or compromise the primary agent of both efforts - the American press.'
'Rivals Criticize CNN Methods of War Reporting' By Jim Rutenberg and Bill Carter of the New York Times - On the CNN-Al Jazeera deal
'Reporters Want More Access, but Are Careful to Ask Nicely' by Felicity Barringer of the NY Times
The Lack of Battle Damage Assessment Data: The "Dog that Didn't Bark" by A.H. Cordesman, October 25, 2001 - An interesting piece about how giving out imprecise information can be counter-productive
Clash of Communications: The Battle of the Narrative - a foreign policy association analysis ALTERNATIVE VOICES Most of the above are from 'mainstream' media sources, albeit available on the net. However, there is a good deal of dissenting material that rarely penetrates the mainstream media but which provide (mostly) sensible alternative points of view. The better examples (and not just the 'usual suspects') are listed below.
The War In Afghanistan: 47 Questions and Answers and additional links for further Information by Michael Albert and Stephen R. Shalom
War, Propaganda and the Media - A comprehensive guide from globalissues.org
'Propaganda and war' by Edward Said - Argues that 'Never have the media been so influential in determining the course of war as during the Al-Aqsa Intifada, which, as far as the Western media are concerned, has essentially become a battle over images and ideas.'
Antiwar.com - Contains lots of anti-war views
World Socialist website - 'Why we oppose the war in Afghanistan' MEDIA SPECIAL REPORT SITES
From the BBC
Washington Post
Guardian Unlimited
Special by Time on 9/11
CNN
US News
Stratfor Crisis Centre - Largely military affairs
MSNBC Newsweek - with in-depth analysis of the roots of anti-US sentiment and the hijackers.
Fox News special report - An interactive site which includes the 'evidence' so far made public about bin Laden and Al Qaeda's involvement in the events of 11 September. Confused? Don't know who to believe? Consult the following...
'An Educators' Guide to Credibility and Web Evaluation' from The University of Illinois
'Evaluating Internet Research Sources' by Robert Harris
The Internet Studies Centre, University of Minnesota
T is for Thinking - Guide to Critical Thinking About What You See on the Web
Validating Web Sites: A Webliography in Progress |