Product Description

Piers Robinson examines the relationship between the state and its media, and considers the role played by the news reporting in a series of 'humanitarian' interventions in Iraq, Somalia, Bosnia, Kosovo and Rwanda.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #121848 in Books
• Published on: 2002-07-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Review

'A carefully crafted and thorough presentation … clear and insightful …Robinson has offered a thorough and thoughtful analysis.' – Political Communication

From the Back Cover
The last decade has seen an increased willingness by Western governments to use force to intervene in distant humanitarian crises, and this has been coupled with significant levels of media attention on the human casualties of war and conflict. Central to this new policy of intervention is the so-called 'CNN effect': the saturation of western viewers with non-stop, real-time news footage of wars and military actions on television and the Internet. In turn, these images constitute a powerful plea for action. But can news media drive foreign policy, or are governments oblivious to partial news coverage? Are there any connections between media coverage of humanitarian crisis and Western intervention and what is the truth behind the CNN effect?
The CNN Effect examines the relationship between the state and its media, and considers the role played by the news reporting in a series of 'humanitarian' interventions in Iraq, Somalia, Bosnia, Kosovo and Rwanda. Piers Robinson challenges traditional views of media subservience and argues that sympathetic news coverage at key moments in foreign crises can influence the response of Western governments.

Customer Reviews

The influence of reporting
Piers Robinson has written a significant text which explores the nature of reporting and its impact on the way we view the world. That we cannot know the world and the events which occur around us without some bias (even our own) is useful enough for people to be made aware of, but that it has quite such an impact on our opinions is, quite simply, breathtaking. Robinson focuses on recent events, up to and including the Twin Towers and he is precise and surgeon like in using his intellectual scalpel to lift the skin of the issues and uncover the underlying functionality. Obviously a man of passion, Piers Robinson has produced a well thought out ad well presented introduction to an area of growing public concern.