During Invasions, Journalists Should Not Be Cheerleaders
INTERVIEW ON THE PRICE OF BUSINESS SHOW, MEDIA PARTNER OF THIS SITE.
Recently Kevin Price, Host of the nationally syndicated Price of Business Show, interviewed David Dozier who is a leading media authority.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine provides an opportunity for American journalists to serve the public interest by providing a dispassionate account of the human suffering and the geopolitical forces driving the conflict. Instead, global U.S. media organizations act like small-town weeklies providing biased coverage of the hometown softball team. The U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the Russian invasion of Ukraine this year offer stark examples of two different types of cheerleading. Both invasions were offensive wars of aggression against another sovereign nation. During the Iraq invasion, the U.S. news media cheered for the invaders. U.S. media framed the “shock and awe” directed at Baghdad as a testimony to the U.S.’s military might. When we saw buildings destroyed, little was said about the terrible toll on civilian Iraqis. In the end, this U.S. invasion resulted in the death of over 200,000 Iraqi civilians. Some 12,000 civilians died during the first year. Saddam Hussein was described as a “madman.” U.S. journalists now cheer for the Ukrainians. Vladimir Putin is described as a “madman.” Heart-rending human-interest stories about civilian casualties and refugees dominate the screens of U.S. news outlets. Beware of polls showing “strong” support for policies such as a NATO-imposed “no-fly zone” or a global boycott of Russian oil and gas exports. The same media cheerleaders also dictate how these polls are conducted. In the run-up to the Iraq war, media polls reported overwhelming support for the invasion. As exposed by David W. Moore, former senior editor of the Gallup Poll, U.S. news media manufactured that support by forcing Americans to choose between war and peace. In fact, a plurality (40%) were unsure and/or had no knowledge. Only 29% actually supported the invasion. Beware of any media polls that suggest Americans favor or oppose certain policies regarding the Ukrainian invasion. In truth, the average American has other worries and does not know what we should do. David M. Dozier, Ph.D., is professor emeritus in the School of Journalism & Media Studies, San Diego State University. See www.DavidDozierBooks.com. See also David W. Moore’s The Opinion Makers (Beacon Press, 2008).
The Price of Business is one of the longest running shows of its kind in the country and is in markets coast to coast. The Host, Kevin Price, is a multi-award winning author, broadcast journalist, and syndicated columnist. He is Editor at Large for this site. Learn more about the show and its digital partners at www.PriceofBusiness.com.
David Dozier (DavidDozierBooks.com) is the author of the novel, The California Killing Field. He is a professor emeritus in the School of Journalism & Media Studies, San Diego State University. He’s an internationally recognized expert on communication management and public relations.
According to USA Business Radio, “David Dozier is a scholar of public relations and communication management, professor emeritus in the School of Journalism & Media Studies at San Diego State University, and author of The California Killing Field. He says fake news has become a phenomenon, political campaigns use the tactic to influence voters, and that it’s perplexing that a conspiracy-based group such as QAnon has gained national attention.
Kevin Price and David Dozier are doing a multi-part series on this important topic that will be on many different platforms, as well as on radio. Keep an eye out for the series throughout the Price of Business Digital Network and USA Business Radio.
LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW IN ITS ENTIRETY HERE
