Reporters Or Cheerleaders: Embedded Versus Unilateral Reporting During Taskforce ORION

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Reporters Or Cheerleaders: Embedded Versus Unilateral Reporting During Taskforce ORION REPORTERS OR CHEERLEADERS: EMBEDDED VERSUS UNILATERAL REPORTING DURING TASK FORCE ORION Major K.L.A. Dunlop JCSP 39 PCEMI 39 Master of Defence Studies Maîtrise en études de la défense Disclaimer Avertissement Opinions expressed remain those of the author and do Les opinons exprimées n’engagent que leurs auteurs et not represent Department of National Defence or ne reflètent aucunement des politiques du Ministère de Canadian Forces policy. This paper may not be used la Défense nationale ou des Forces canadiennes. Ce without written permission. papier ne peut être reproduit sans autorisation écrite. © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by the © Sa Majesté la Reine du Chef du Canada, représentée par le Minister of National Defence, 2013 ministre de la Défense nationale, 2013. CANADIAN FORCES COLLEGE – COLLÈGE DES FORCES CANADIENNES JCSP 39 – PCEMI 39 2012 – 2013 MASTER OF DEFENCE STUDIES – MAÎTRISE EN ÉTUDES DE LA DÉFENSE REPORTERS OR CHEERLEADERS: EMBEDDED VERSUS UNILATERAL REPORTING DURING TASK FORCE ORION By Major K.L.A. Dunlop Par le major K.L.A. Dunlop “This paper was written by a student “La présente étude a été rédigée par un attending the Canadian Forces College in stagiaire du Collège des Forces fulfilment of one of the requirements of the canadiennes pour satisfaire à l'une des Course of Studies. The paper is a exigences du cours. L'étude est un scholastic document, and thus contains document qui se rapporte au cours et facts and opinions, which the author alone contient donc des faits et des opinions que considered appropriate and correct for the seul l'auteur considère appropriés et subject. It does not necessarily reflect the convenables au sujet. Elle ne reflète pas policy or the opinion of any agency, nécessairement la politique ou l'opinion including the Government of Canada and d'un organisme quelconque, y compris le the Canadian Department of National gouvernement du Canada et le ministère Defence. This paper may not be released, de la Défense nationale du Canada. Il est quoted or copied, except with the express défendu de diffuser, de citer ou de permission of the Canadian Department of reproduire cette étude sans la permission National Defence.” expresse du ministère de la Défense nationale.” Word Count: 19 169 Compte de mots: 19 169 i TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents i Abstract ii Acknowledgements iii Chapter 1 – Introduction 1.1. From Vietnam to Iraq: The Evolution of the Modern 1 War Correspondent 1.2. The Debate over Embedded versus Unilateral Conflict 5 Reporting Chapter 2 – Embedded versus Unilateral Conflict Reporting from Operation IRAQI FREEDOM (OIF) 2.1. Background 8 2.2. The “Marine Grunt Truth” 11 2.3. “The Redder the Better” – Dying for a Great Story 12 2.4. Sleeping with the Enemy: A Soldier’s View of the Military 14 Embed 2.5. The Criticality of Democratic Debate 16 Chapter 3 – Canadian Conflict Reporting and the Canadian Forces’ Military Embedding Program (MEP) 3.1. Brief History of Canadian Conflict Reporting 17 3.2. Operation ATHENA MEP 23 3.3. The Ground Rules for Embedded Journalists 25 Chapter 4 – Task Force ORION and the Battle for Afghanistan 4.1. Waning Public Will: A Tenuous Centre of Gravity 27 4.2. Mullah Dadulla: Orchestrating a Taliban Resurgence, 29 Nov-Dec 2005 4.3. The Government, TF ORION and the Media: Preparing 31 For War 4.4. Cracking the Codex on Military Operations 39 4.5. Canadian Embedded versus Unilateral Reporting 44 4.6. The Battle of Panjwai 51 4.7. Beyond the Battle of Panjwai and Task Force ORION 59 Chapter 5 – The Canadian Forces, Military Embedding and Public Affairs into the Future 5.1. Media “Management” 63 5.2. The Canadian Forces: In Need of a Narrative and a Voice 64 5.3. The Canadian Forces and Embedding – The Way Ahead 66 Bibliography 75 ABSTRACT The debate over embedded versus unilateral conflict reporting remains a heated one normally focused on the issue of objectivity, with many critics of embedded journalism arguing that it is simply impossible to maintain objectivity when your life is entrusted to the military. This thesis argues that both embedded and unilateral journalists – while providing different views of conflict – are essential to the provision of a comprehensive and factual view of a conflict to the public they serve. Despite concerns over media management by the military, what is equally concerning is the narrow perspectives offered by embedded or unilateral reporting individually. Evidence for this argument is based on a study of embedded and unilateral reporters’ experiences and coverage of Task Force ORION in Afghanistan from February to August 2006. The Canadian Forces embedding program proved successful through its education of the news media and Canadian citizens regarding military operations in Afghanistan and equally reminded the military about the criticality of the media within a healthy democracy. The embedding program succeeded as a result of its tolerance for periods of unilateral reporting by journalists who chose to embed, allowing for the perspectives of Afghan civilians, the Taliban, governmental officials and non-governmental organizations to be heard by the Canadian public. Together, embedded and unilateral journalists in Afghanistan during Task Force ORION were able to create a much more comprehensive and balanced picture of a complicated war. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the Canadian journalists and Government of Canada senior public servants for their participation in my thesis research – your extensive field experience, both in Afghanistan during Task Force ORION and across the globe, lend a legitimacy and credibility that I simply could not have achieved alone. Your fearlessness under fire in more conflicts than I have known and dedication to telling stories of war worlds away to Canadians is truly inspiring. To Dr. Steve Lukits, your encouragement, patience and understanding were instrumental to this achievement. Your enthusiasm for my research made me push ever forward. To my parents, thank you for your encouragement from afar. Finally, I dedicate this thesis to my son, Hadrian Connell Dunlop. Hadrian, at eight years old, you have supported your mommy at “Army College” for nearly ten months so that I could learn to “make better plans;” you are my hero, and for your unfailing support I am eternally grateful and humbled. 1 Objectivity and honesty are not the same thing, though, and it is entirely possible to write with honesty about the very personal and distorting experiences of war.1 - Sebastian Junger, War CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION 1.1. From Vietnam to Iraq: The Evolution of the Modern War Correspondent “You’re either with us or against us.” An irrefutable warning to the international community as the United States prepared for its 2003 invasion of Iraq, former President George W. Bush’s words may also have served as a warning to the news media. The irreconcilable “Jekyll and Hyde” of the war correspondent – the battle between patriotism and journalistic objectivity – has never been more pointed. This is not surprising considering that the news media was blamed by the United States military and many politicians for the loss of the Vietnam War. Characterized by unfettered media accreditation, free access to operations, leadership, tactical units and local nationals, and the ability to get any story, Vietnam war reporting was revolutionary. Independent and eager to stimulate public debate, over two thousand reporters moved freely around the battlefield interviewing everyone they could as opposed to taking the Pentagon’s press briefings as gospel.2 As Michael Herr, Esquire magazine’s Vietnam war correspondent, stated: All kinds of people have held them [Military Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV) accreditation cards] at one time or another: […] second-string literary figures who wrote about how they hated the war […] syndicated eminences who houseguested with Westmoreland or Bunker […] a lot of hacks who wrote down every word that the generals and officials told them to write […] the press corps was as diffuse and faceless as any regiment in the war.3 Independent and critical reporting in Vietnam was further complicated by the disillusionment of American military command regarding operational and tactical successes; “Vietnam moments” 1 Sebastian Junger, War (Toronto: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd., 2010), 26. 2 “Press Freedom vs Military Censorship,” last accessed 24 March 2013, http://www.crfforum.org/topics/?topicid=3&catid=3&view=document&id=48. 3 Michael Herr, Dispatches (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1978), 220-222. as Sebastian Junger called them in War. These moments were those “in which you weren’t so much getting misled as getting asked to participate in a kind of collective wishful thinking.”4 The military lost credibility as a result of its provision of a false, yet desperately emphasized, picture of war successes versus a dire combat reality. Walter Cronkite, the renowned anchor of the CBS Evening News, travelled to Vietnam in 1968. Moving away from the basic tenants of objective reporting, “Cronkite concluded his reports on the Tet offensive with a personal commentary in which he voiced his strong belief that the war would end in stalemate.”5 Combine this commentary with the fact that censorship was limited to non-existent in Vietnam and you have a perfect storm for anti-war protests and the undermining of national foreign policy. From Cronkite’s perspective, the war correspondent’s coverage of a conflict is absolutely critical, but only when there is a system in place to ensure operational security is maintained; in his opinion, this is where the American military failed in Vietnam.6 Extreme censorship of the media during military operations ensued as a result of the Vietnam experience. During the Falklands War of 1982, “all the significant news, good or bad, was announced or leaked from London”7 rather than reported consistently by correspondents in the region.
Recommended publications
  • Breaking Scandal: Inside the Sexual Assault Coverage, the Jezebel Reporter's Defense
    Montana Journalism Review Volume 1 Issue 42 Issue 42, 2013 Article 1 2013 Breaking Scandal: Inside the Sexual Assault Coverage, The Jezebel Reporter's Defense University of Montana--Missoula. School of Journalism Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/mjr Part of the Journalism Studies Commons Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation School of Journalism, University of Montana--Missoula. (2013) "Breaking Scandal: Inside the Sexual Assault Coverage, The Jezebel Reporter's Defense," Montana Journalism Review: Vol. 1 : Iss. 42 , Article 1. Available at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/mjr/vol1/iss42/1 This Full Issue is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Montana Journalism Review by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact [email protected]. School of Journalism: Breaking Scandal: Inside the Sexual Assault Coverage, The Jezebel SUMMER 2013 MJR BREAKING SCANDAL Inside the Sexual Assault Coverage The Jezebel Reporter’s Defense ISSUE DUI FASHION: WITH MOMS HELP! REALITY TV ANKLE BRACELETS IN PRISON, GOES MONTANA University42 of Montana TAKE OFF ROOMMATES BOND School of Journalism Published by ScholarWorks at University of Montana, 2015 1 2013 MTJournalismreview_2004 MTJournalismreview 4/11/13 12:18 PM Page 1 Montana Journalism Review, Vol. 1 [2015], Iss. 42, Art. 1 1 https://scholarworks.umt.edu/mjr/vol1/iss42/1 2 School of Journalism: Breaking Scandal: Inside the Sexual Assault Coverage, The Jezebel CONTENTS COVER STORY: THE BLAME GAME 23 TWO NATIONS, ONE VOICE 13-17 4 LETTER FROM THE EDITORS 7-10 YEAR IN REVIEW THE NEW 11 BALL AND CHAIN 18 RUNNING ON EMPTY LIGHTWEIGHT HEROES 22 YOU’VE BEEN SERVED 36 2 Published by ScholarWorks at University of Montana, 2015 3 Montana Journalism Review, Vol.
    [Show full text]
  • Onderzoeksopzet
    'Truth is the first casualty' How does embedded journalism influence the news coverage of TFU in the period 2006-2010? Barbara Werdmuller Master thesis Political Science Campus Den Haag, University of Leiden June 2012 For all soldiers and journalists who risk their lives by fulfilling their private mission in war zones. 2 Word of thanks The author of this research wishes to thank the following persons for their contribution to the realization of this thesis. First, the editors and journalists of the analyzed papers and news magazines for their feedback regarding reporter status and views regarding (non-)embedded journalism. Second, the two supervisors Jan van der Meulen and Frits Meijerink for their constructive feedback and advice with regard to analysis of literature, execution of the research and statistical analysis. Third, Maria Werdmuller for assistance with the import of analyzed data in SPSS. Last but not least, Carlos Vrins and Mark Pijnenburg for their feedback and words of encouragement in the process of research and writing of the thesis. 3 Table of content Summary 6 1 Introduction: 'Truth is the first casualty' 7 1a The phenomenon of embedded journalism 7 1b Research question and structure of the research report 8 2 War journalism and embedded journalism 10 2a The impact of war journalism 10 2b The profession of war journalist 11 2c Developments in war journalism in the 20th and 21th century 13 2d A case of embedded journalism: Iraq 13 2e Overview 15 3 A Dutch case of embedded journalism: Task Force Uruzgan 16 3a The embed
    [Show full text]
  • Democracy Program Strategic Overview 2018 ANNUAL REPORT
    Democracy Program Strategic Overview A healthy democracy is dependent upon informed and engaged individuals and communities, and responsive systems of 2018 ANNUAL government REPORT The McCormick Foundation introduces a refreshed Democracy Program strategy. Our work focuses on youth civic engagement, journalism, and governmental reform, and takes place at three levels Our Mission of our democratic system in Illinois: individual, community, and Strengthen democracy in systems. Individuals engage with one another to solve problems in Illinois through informed their communities. They work within democratic systems to resolve and engaged individuals them or to reform the systems themselves, ultimately to the benefit and communities, and of both individuals and their communities. responsive systems of government Individuals Our Goals • Youth are Systems informed, actively participate in their Communities communities, and have healthy civic dispositions Partners and grantees of the Foundation will recognize significant continuity in our strategy. We continue to support youth civic • Journalism is development through a range of investments in civic learning vigorous and free, opportunities and our own Democracy Schools Initiative. Our and an effective commitment to journalism also remains robust across a continuum mediator, that encompasses youth media, healthy local news ecosystems, and informing and investigative reporting. And we still seek to make public institutions connecting all more accessible, responsive, and representative. levels of the democratic system Changes center on the integration of these previously distinct strategies in the democratic context of individuals, communities, • Public institutions and systems. Youth engagement, local journalism, and institutional are inclusive, reform provide opportunities to work at all three levels of our transparent, and democracy to improve its functioning.
    [Show full text]
  • Materializing the Military
    MATERIALIZING THE MILITARY Edited by Bernard Finn Barton C Hacker Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC Associate Editors Robert Bud Science Museum, London Helmuth Trischler Deutsches Museum, Munich . sCience museum Published 2005 by NMSI Trading Ltd, Science Museum, Exhibition Road, London SW7 2DD All rights reserved © 2005 Board ofTrustees of the Science Museum, except for contributions from employees of US national museums Designed by Jerry Fowler Printed in England by the Cromwell Press ISBN 1 90074760 X ISSN 1029-3353 Website http://www.nmsi.ac.uk Artefacts series: studies in the history of science and technology In growing numbers, historians are using technological artefacts in the study and interpretation of the recent past. Their work is still largely pioneering, as they investigate approaches and modes of presentation. But the consequences are already richly rewarding. To encourage this enterprise, three of the world's greatest repositories of the material heritage of science and technology: the Deutsches Museum, the Science Museum and the Smithsonian Institution, are collaborating on this book series. Each volume treats a particular subject area, using objects to explore a wide range of issues related to science, technology and medicine and their place in society. Edited by Robert Bud, Science Museum, London Bernard Finn, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC Helmuth Trischler, Deutsches Museum, Munich Volume 1 Manifesting Medicine Principal Editor Robert Bud Volume 2 Exposing Electronics Principal Editor Bernard Finn Volume 3 Tackling Transport Principal Editors Helmuth Trischler and Stefan Zeilinger Volume 4 Presenting Pictures Principal Editor Bernard Finn Volume 5 Materializing the Military Principal Editors Bernard Finn and Barton C Hacker Volume.
    [Show full text]
  • Print Journalism: a Critical Introduction
    Print Journalism A critical introduction Print Journalism: A critical introduction provides a unique and thorough insight into the skills required to work within the newspaper, magazine and online journalism industries. Among the many highlighted are: sourcing the news interviewing sub-editing feature writing and editing reviewing designing pages pitching features In addition, separate chapters focus on ethics, reporting courts, covering politics and copyright whilst others look at the history of newspapers and magazines, the structure of the UK print industry (including its financial organisation) and the development of journalism education in the UK, helping to place the coverage of skills within a broader, critical context. All contributors are experienced practising journalists as well as journalism educators from a broad range of UK universities. Contributors: Rod Allen, Peter Cole, Martin Conboy, Chris Frost, Tony Harcup, Tim Holmes, Susan Jones, Richard Keeble, Sarah Niblock, Richard Orange, Iain Stevenson, Neil Thurman, Jane Taylor and Sharon Wheeler. Richard Keeble is Professor of Journalism at Lincoln University and former director of undergraduate studies in the Journalism Department at City University, London. He is the author of Ethics for Journalists (2001) and The Newspapers Handbook, now in its fourth edition (2005). Print Journalism A critical introduction Edited by Richard Keeble First published 2005 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX9 4RN Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005. “To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.” Selection and editorial matter © 2005 Richard Keeble; individual chapters © 2005 the contributors All rights reserved.
    [Show full text]
  • Renewing the News
    Renewing the News alter Cronkite tion of everyday behavior, stepped to the podium and the vexing cultural and before a respectful audi- political challenges it has ence at Harvard one No- spawned in its unbound- Wvember evening in 1990. ed flood of information. An avuncular legend of broad- Though Cronkite spoke cast journalism, celebrated that evening from the apex as “the most trusted man in of American journalism, he America,” he was an obvious had begun his career at its choice to initiate an annual base: with a local report- lecture series at the Kennedy ing job at The Houston Post. School’s Shorenstein Center In 1990, that base appeared on Media, Politics and Policy. secure. Even in the age of Cronkite shared insider tales television, American news- from the 1950s and ’60s as he papers employed by far described the unfortunate ef- the most journalists and fects of television on Ameri- produced by far the most can politics: shallow debates, journalism, especially at shrinking soundbites, image the local level. The indus- over substance. try’s most profitable year The ninth of 11 questions he would not come until 2000. fielded pointed him toward the And then it collapsed. future. “There is the imminent Long supported by adver- emergence of a digital, global tisers drawn to the audi- information environment with Supporting journalism— ence they commanded, the instantaneous transmis- newspaper publishers sion of information…in many and democracy—after found themselves stunned forms almost anywhere,” his and stumbling across an questioner said. Combined the Internet eviscerated unfamiliar and treacher- with the proliferation of cable ous landscape.
    [Show full text]
  • Intimate Perspectives from the Battlefields of Iraq
    'The Best Covered War in History': Intimate Perspectives from the Battlefields of Iraq by Andrew J. McLaughlin A thesis presented to the University Of Waterloo in fulfilment of the thesis requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 2017 © Andrew J. McLaughlin 2017 Examining Committee Membership The following served on the Examining Committee for this thesis. The decision of the Examining Committee is by majority vote. External Examiner Marco Rimanelli Professor, St. Leo University Supervisor(s) Andrew Hunt Professor, University of Waterloo Internal Member Jasmin Habib Associate Professor, University of Waterloo Internal Member Roger Sarty Professor, Wilfrid Laurier University Internal-external Member Brian Orend Professor, University of Waterloo ii Author's Declaration I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. This is a true copy of the thesis, including any required final revisions, as accepted by my examiners. I understand that my thesis may be made electronically available to the public. iii Abstract This study examines combat operations from the 2003 invasion of Iraq War from the “ground up.” It utilizes unique first-person accounts that offer insights into the realities of modern warfare which include effects on soldiers, the local population, and journalists who were tasked with reporting on the action. It affirms the value of media embedding to the historian, as hundreds of journalists witnessed major combat operations firsthand. This line of argument stands in stark contrast to other academic assessments of the embedding program, which have criticized it by claiming media bias and military censorship. Here, an examination of the cultural and social dynamics of an army at war provides agency to soldiers, combat reporters, and innocent civilians caught in the crossfire.
    [Show full text]
  • The Archive of American Journalism Ray Stannard Baker Collection
    The Archive of American Journalism Ray Stannard Baker Collection McClure’s Magazine September, 1898 How the News of the War is Reported WAR with Spain began, so far as the newspapers were concerned, when the “Maine” was blown up in Havana harbor. The explosion occurred at 9.40 o’clock on the evening of February 15, 1898. At half-past two on the following morning the first reports, filed by the correspondents in Havana, reached New York, and at daylight newsboys in every city in America were crying the extras which gave the details of the disaster. Before noon on the 16th, a tug steamed out of the harbor at Key West with three divers on board. In the few hurried hours after the news reached New York “The World” had telegraphed its representative in Key West, and divers had been roused out of bed, had collected their paraphernalia, and had embarked on the newly chartered tug for Havana. Early in the afternoon, “The World” correspondent in Havana received the following cabled instructions: “Have sent divers to you from Key West to get actual truth, whether favorable or unfavorable. First investigation by divers, with authentic results, worth $1,000 extra expense tomorrow alone.” But when the divers arrived, they were not allowed to make a descent, and all that the newspaper sponsors of the enterprise derived from the expedition was a bill of expense amounting to nearly $1,000. This was the beginning. During the next few days scores of correspondents were rushed into Havana, and half a hundred great newspapers began to fill with news and pictures of the wreck.
    [Show full text]
  • Department of Journalism (2020 – 22)
    DON BOSCO ARTS & SCIENCE COLLEGE ANGADIKADAVU (Affiliated to Kannur University Approved by Government of Kerala) ANGADIKADAVU P.O., IRITTY, KANNUR – 670706 COURSE PLAN Department of Journalism (2020 – 22) SEMESTER - I ACADEMIC YEAR - (2020-21) I Semester MCJ (2020 - 22) SL. Duty Hours Name of Subjects with Code Name of the Teacher No. per week 1. Introduction to Mass Communication MCJ1C 01 Nithu P.V 5 2. Reporting for Newspaper- MCJ1C02 Previn P.F 5 Fr.Dr.Bastin 3. Editing for Newspaper- MCJ1C03 Nellissery 5 4. Television Production- MCJ1C04 Shanu Salman Name of Class Incharge : MEGHANA NAIR TIME TABLE 09.50 Am - 10.45 Am -11.40 11.55 Am -12.50 01.40 Pm - 02.35 Pm - Day 10.45 Am Am Pm 02.35 Pm 03.30 Pm Introduction to Editing for Reporting for Television Newspaper 1 Mass Production Newspaper Newspaper quiz Communication Introduction to Editing for Television Reporting for 2 Newspaper Mass Debate Production Newspaper Communication Introduction to Reporting for Editing for Mass Television 3 Film Screening Newspaper Newspaper Communicatio Production n Introduction to Television Reporting for Editing for 4 Mass Discussion Production Newspaper Newspaper Communication Introduction to Reporting for Editing for Television 5 Mass Production Newspaper Newspaper Production Communication Subject Code: MCJ 1C 01 Subject Name: Introduction to Mass Communication No. of Credits: 04 No. of Contact Hours: 90 Hours per Week: 05 Name of the Teacher: Nithu P V Module I Definition and elements of communication; intra, interpersonal, group and mass communication;
    [Show full text]
  • The Obama Administration and the Press Leak Investigations and Surveillance in Post-9/11 America
    The Obama Administration and the Press Leak investigations and surveillance in post-9/11 America By Leonard Downie Jr. with reporting by Sara Rafsky A special report of the Committee to Protect Journalists Leak investigations and surveillance in post-9/11 America U.S. President Barack Obama came into office pledging open government, but he has fallen short of his promise. Journalists and transparency advocates say the White House curbs routine disclosure of information and deploys its own media to evade scrutiny by the press. Aggressive prosecution of leakers of classified information and broad electronic surveillance programs deter government sources from speaking to journalists. A CPJ special report by Leonard Downie Jr. with reporting by Sara Rafsky Barack Obama leaves a press conference in the East Room of the White House August 9. (AFP/Saul Loeb) Published October 10, 2013 WASHINGTON, D.C. In the Obama administration’s Washington, government officials are increasingly afraid to talk to the press. Those suspected of discussing with reporters anything that the government has classified as secret are subject to investigation, including lie-detector tests and scrutiny of their telephone and e-mail records. An “Insider Threat Program” being implemented in every government department requires all federal employees to help prevent unauthorized disclosures of information by monitoring the behavior of their colleagues. Six government employees, plus two contractors including Edward Snowden, have been subjects of felony criminal prosecutions since 2009 under the 1917 Espionage Act, accused of leaking classified information to the press— compared with a total of three such prosecutions in all previous U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • The Geometry of Journalism
    The Geometry of Journalism Zohar Bowen Bronet Supervisor: Professor Carles Roca-Cuberes Final Thesis for the Master’s in International Studies on Media, Power and Difference Department of Communication Universitat Pompeu Fabra 2019/2020 1 Abstract: Scholars from multiple disciplines have been studying various aspects of ​ journalism for nearly a century. The question of newsworthiness, what becomes news and what does not, has always been an area of great interest. While many explanations have been offered, all include varying degrees of psychology and teleology. So far, none have approached the subject using sociologist Donald Black’s framework of pure sociology. The paradigm predicts and explains the behavior of social life with the shape of social space it occurs in, its geometry. Here, I apply Black’s model to the question of newsworthiness to identify the social structures journalism occurs in, and how it behaves within them. I then extend the model to the moral nature of journalism by studying it as a form of social control. The result is a set of theoretical formulations about the behavior of journalism, and a new sociological theory of journalism. Key words: journalism, pure sociology, social geometry, newsworthiness, social control ​ 2 Introduction 3 Pure Sociology and Journalism as a Dependent Variable 4 Social ​Status 6 Movements of Social Time 6 Journalism as Evaluation 8 Quantifying Journalism 9 PART I Theories of Newsworthiness 11 Events 11 Outlets and Audiences 12 Broader Context and a New Theory 14 Principles of Journalism
    [Show full text]
  • Hudson's Front Matter.Vp
    User's Guide Listings in Hudson's Washington News Media Contacts fall into several major media categories: • News Services • Newspapers • Syndicates & Columnists • Radio & TV Stations • Magazines & Periodicals The Table of Contents is your detailed guide through these major categories and their subdivisions. In the case of major media—Newspapers, Radio & TV Stations, and Magazines & Periodicals—the listings are organized by type of news—general and specialized, as well as by their connection to DC—those with a DC Bureau and those headquartered in the DC metro area. This 2019 edition includes four indexes to help you to find exactly what you are looking for: • Entry Name Index is an alphabetical listing of all media organizations, including newspapers, television, magazines, radio, and more. • Geographic Index/Foreign Media is a guide to all foreign media with a presence in D.C. arranged by country and then city. • Personnel Index is an alphabetical listing of all media contacts, including publishers, editors, bureau chiefs, correspondents, reporters, photographers, and more. • Magazine Subject Index lists all magazines by their topic, from Advertising & Public Relations to Urban Affairs. Key Telephone Numbers Senate Press Gallery ..........................................(202) 224-0241 House Press Gallery ..........................................(202) 225-3945 U.S. Senate Radio & Television Correspondents Gallery..............(202) 224-6421 House Radio Television Correspondents’ Gallery ...................(202) 225-5214 Senate Periodical
    [Show full text]