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BACK TO : PROPAGANDA AND THE GLOBAL 'WAR' ON TERROR (GWOT) Years 1 and 2, ie 9/11-2003
Newsies walk propaganda tightrope by P Bernstein 
Newsies walk propaganda tightrope. (D.C. Spin).(Brief Article) Variety, Nov 5, 2001, by Pamela McClintock, Paula Bernstein The new mantra at CNN: "The fire is still burning." The fire, of course, is ground zero at the tip of Gotham, which continues to smolder after the attacks of Sept. 11. Since that day, TV newsies have been struggling with their dual role as Americans and journos. That conflict has heightened in recent days, as news execs strive to cover the story in a balanced way while not appearing to be sidling up to the enemy. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld sternly reminded reporters several times last week that the U.S. military action in Afghanistan was provoked, and told them to look no further than the steamy rubble that used to be the World Trade Center. An internal memo from CNN topper Walter Isaacson reinforced Rumsfeld's sentiments. "We must talk about how the Taliban are using civilian shields and how the Taliban have harbored the terrorists responsible for killing close to 5,000 people," Isaacson wrote. The memo made an immediate difference. CNN anchors bookended dispatches from the war front with reminders of the attacks and the deceitful tactics of the Taliban. Some anchors appeared more comfortable than others; CNN's Aaron Brown gently referred again and again to the fire that still burns in New York. But just as journos are reluctant to plug the Taliban's point of view, they also don't want to become mouthpieces for the U.S. They want to be on the scene and reporting independently. News chiefs in Washington, D.C., have begun stepping up pressure on the Pentagon and the White House to grant greater access to U.S. troops going in and out of Afghanistan. The Bush administration is adamant that it won't jeopardize missions in order to feed the 24-hour news cycle. Newsies say they have no problem with that. "We're not asking to ... go along with special ops forces, but to talk to them after the operation wouldn't compromise national security," says Janet Leissner, CBS News VP and D.C. bureau chief. "At least it would give us actual firsthand eyes and ears of what's happening over there." Adding to the tension, U.S. journos are watching their counterparts in Europe, the Middle East and other points around the globe air footage of damage, death and injury in Afghanistan. And as those images increase, foreign sentiment is turning more critical of America's war on terrorism. Hence, the deluge of questions at various Bush administration press conferences about whether the White House is losing the ever-important propaganda war. Conceding it's a complicated effort, White House press secretary Ari Fleischer announced Nov. 1 that the U.S. has teamed up with Britain and Pakistan to set up briefing centers in London and Islamabad. That way, officials with the U.S.-led coalition waging battle in Afghanistan can be on the ground in Europe and Pakistan to brief reporters in real time and directly refute Taliban charges. Fleischer says a big part of the problem is the time-zone difference: The Taliban holds an advantage in getting news out while the Western world sleeps. Meanwhile last week, the Taliban led foreign journalists, including some U.S. newsies, on a tour of its controlled territory, pointing out collateral damage. But it, too, is restricting access by the Arab satellite news channel Al-Jazeera, the only news org continuously up and running in Afghanistan, whose footage CNN and ABC are using. Yet that footage is likewise suspect. A cadre of top officials, including Rumsfeld and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, showed up for interviews with Al-Jazeera, but Rumsfeld later accused the Arab news org of being a propaganda puppet for the Taliban and Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda terrorist network. Of course, much of the Arab world says CNN funnels U.S. propaganda overseas. One thing's for sure: In this war, propaganda seems to be what the other guy does. COPYRIGHT 2001 Cahners Business Information COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group |