Media in the conflict

Abstract

The medias existences in war differ from conflict to conflict. In the Vietnam War the media had the biggest influence and broadcasting so far in photographic history. Creating the first TV war. The wide media flow and the changed public opinion lead the US army to blame the free press for the outcome and loss in Vietnam. When the US invaded Grenada with memory of media failure in Vietnam the US army practically closed down the hole Island. The press raged and created problems for the US government in power. When US army later invaded Panama the army had learned from their mistakes and created press pool leading the media in a favorable way for the US army. This technique was later modified during the Gulf war. The Gulf War is considered being the first Live TV War. Letting people around the globe watching it as football or hockey game. The public was deceived along with the enormous amount of meaningless footage and photographs leaving the viewers with the feeling of a war without casualty. The third Balkan war created a new type of media covering "Journalism with attachment" the press becomes subjective and decides rights and wrongs, good and bad. The Rwanda genocide, the press was on the spot but the story was neglected by the media agencies. The aftermath of Rwanda created a large Cholera epidemic in Zaire, the media failed again to actually point out the genocide putting their news interest in the humanitarian crises. The international community was fast to response, helping the actually perpetrator for the Genocide. The silent media covering in Congo, the I-countries few interest in the region, the complexity of the conflict and the high risk for journalist leaves the Congo conflict in the media shadow, the outcome are insufficient aid for a large humanitarian crises which caused more life than any war since World War II. The conflict in Iraq has a large news value but the high danger involved for journalist creates an imbedded press covering the photographs made by amateurs becomes the most important in the Iraq conflict so far.