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The Effects Of The Media During The Time Of War

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The Effects of the Media During the Time of War

Connor Wood

Elon University

I. Introduction

The relationship between the media and war has been a topic of interest for decades. During times of conflict, the media plays a crucial role in shaping public opinion, influencing government policies, and impacting the lives of those involved. The Iraq War, which began in 2003 and lasted for over eight years, was no exception. The media's coverage of the war had a significant impact on the public's perception of the conflict, military strategy, and the lives of the Iraqi people. The war was a controversial conflict that was waged by a coalition of countries led by the United …show more content…

The depiction of the war as a fight against terrorism and for democracy resonated with many Americans. This portrayal helped to create a sense of unity and purpose, which helped to justify the war to the American people. However, the picture the media painted of the war was criticized for its failure to provide a balanced perspective on the conflict. Many argued that the media's focus on the military's successes and the war's progress gave a false impression of the situation on the ground. This portrayal also ignored the complex political and social factors that contributed to the …show more content…

The media's portrayal of the war as a fight against terrorism and for democracy had a significant impact on the American soldiers' morale and their perception of their mission. On the other hand, this coverage also had an impact on Iraqi people and how they viewed the war. The portrayal of the war in this light may have increased the morale of American soldiers but to the Iraqi civilians and soldiers it only created more unrest and poured gasoline on the already rampant fire. On top of that, there was an disturbingly low amount of coverage about the atrocities that were occurring to Iraqi civilians on a daily basis, as most of the coverage leaned towards the military successes of the

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