In war the first casualty is the truth – Philip Knightely
These words, so carefully crafted by Philip Knightely, truly reflect the manipulation that occurs in times of War. Does anyone really remember the reasons for the war on Iraq? Well, even if we do, the government tries their best to have us thinking otherwise. This is called Propaganda.
‘Propaganda connotes falsehood, lies, deceit, disinformation and duplicity – practices that opposing groups and governments accuse each other of employing’ (Wilcox et al, 227)
On this day, the class watched a feature on what took place in the beginning of the war on Iraq. The video took us through the extent to which the government of the United States and the British government attempted to conceal the truth. The video highlighted some key facts such as Sgt. Jessica Lynch ‘allegedly’ being held hostage by Iraqi forces in ‘what they call a hospital’. The account of the events as told by doctors on duty while the Sgt. was admitted differs significantly with what has been reported in the media. You see, part of getting the public to support a war is to persuade them into believing that the enemy has done something immoral. So it’s a goody, baddy situation, and Persuasion is the key ingredient.
It was further revealed in the video that Downing Street ordered journalists not to portray British soldiers as ‘fighters’ but as ‘life savers’. They were pictured playing football in the streets with children. Additionally journalists were stationed miles away from the base. This, I believe is a control mechanism used by the Government to curtail what the media reports. My question is, why have the journalists there if they can’t report what is happening?
These so called weapons of Mass destruction are yet to be found. Now millions of people are dead and we are left only to speculate about what really caused the war. This video shows all the ramblings and uncertainties and the changing of stories that occurred before and during the war.
References:
Wilcox, Dennis, Philip Ault et al Public Relations Strategies and Tactics 6th ed. Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers Inc. 2000
These words, so carefully crafted by Philip Knightely, truly reflect the manipulation that occurs in times of War. Does anyone really remember the reasons for the war on Iraq? Well, even if we do, the government tries their best to have us thinking otherwise. This is called Propaganda.
‘Propaganda connotes falsehood, lies, deceit, disinformation and duplicity – practices that opposing groups and governments accuse each other of employing’ (Wilcox et al, 227)
On this day, the class watched a feature on what took place in the beginning of the war on Iraq. The video took us through the extent to which the government of the United States and the British government attempted to conceal the truth. The video highlighted some key facts such as Sgt. Jessica Lynch ‘allegedly’ being held hostage by Iraqi forces in ‘what they call a hospital’. The account of the events as told by doctors on duty while the Sgt. was admitted differs significantly with what has been reported in the media. You see, part of getting the public to support a war is to persuade them into believing that the enemy has done something immoral. So it’s a goody, baddy situation, and Persuasion is the key ingredient.
It was further revealed in the video that Downing Street ordered journalists not to portray British soldiers as ‘fighters’ but as ‘life savers’. They were pictured playing football in the streets with children. Additionally journalists were stationed miles away from the base. This, I believe is a control mechanism used by the Government to curtail what the media reports. My question is, why have the journalists there if they can’t report what is happening?
These so called weapons of Mass destruction are yet to be found. Now millions of people are dead and we are left only to speculate about what really caused the war. This video shows all the ramblings and uncertainties and the changing of stories that occurred before and during the war.
References:
Wilcox, Dennis, Philip Ault et al Public Relations Strategies and Tactics 6th ed. Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers Inc. 2000
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