The Impact Of Media Role In War

INTRODUCTION

1. Technology like satellite and telecommunication system development brought about revolution in information, thus turning the entire world into one village (Hamelink 1994). It is possible for us to get international news from everywhere in the world, though if we think carefully we are actually living in more complex and wider space with more people, nations and so to speaks lots and lots of conflicts happening every single hours.The local and international news flow of information's is becoming faster than before. The Cable News Network or CNN news, is a good example of using the technology successfully to report news about the Gulf War due to it's ability to present, transmit, and distribute news 24 hours a day.

2. By using the media channel, a voice of one organization could easily convey. Modern media have certainly opened up channels that do allow both local people and international agencies the opportunity to get the information out and touch the world's conscience. At large we cannot denied, media has contributed to open debate of policies at local, state, national and today's world as global. Media influence on the public opinion is still an important phenomenon that any government needs to take into consideration when deciding on certain critical issue (Douglas 1994: 4).

AIM

3. The aim of this paper being presented is to explain about the impact of media role in war.

SCOPE

4. The scopes for this presented paper consist of:

a. The Media Institutions.

b. The Media Agenda.

c. As Propaganda and Intelligence Gathering Tool.

d. Control of Media.

e. Military and The Media.

f. Conclusion.

g. Recommendation.

THE MEDIA INSTITUTIONS

5. Everyone uses the media, you and I are not exemption. Its carry messages to everyone from everyone with the knowledge, skill or importance for us to make use of them. It may be propaganda or it may be truth but either way, the media carry powerful influence (Anderson 1993: 93). The journalists working for the media agencies are accustomed to being used by presidents, kings, parliaments, entertainers, political activists or ordinary citizens to attract the world's attention, which is a major part of the media's role.

6. As an institution the messages were passed through the newspapers, magazines, or even broadcasting stations and are capable of carrying it to thousands and millions of people almost simultaneously. Somehow on the other hand this institution also affected by problems that beset is as it's being controlled by government restriction, economic support and it's position when reporting in war situation (William et al. 1971:16).

7. In today's trend of news reporting, it seems that the government have no longer have the exclusive privilege of getting a first hand news or viewing news before being viewed by public and then followed by analyses by the world. As simple as because today's news are exclusive in nature of reporting cause it is being transmitted "live" at the location of reporting of incidents. The most current and interesting fresh reporting today is via satellite television when the report on "Iraq War", "Olympic Games" and the "World Cup" or the "English League".

8. At present commercial communications satellites carrying millions of conversations, data streams and news reports around the globe (Itagaki 1997). While in the Biafran war in 1967 it took two days for film about the war to travel from Africa to Western television screens, nowadays what a reporter has to do is just a little more than a computer to send news and pictures back to base for instant transmission around the world (Itagaki 1997).

THE MEDIA AGENDA

9. Sometimes we started to questions why things were reported as such and making everyone tense and alarm, beside the truth of the information. In communication this happened due to the agenda-setting and decision making with so many reasons behind it. Media is being used to carry one image through report. This tool has been used widely since old days as to expose or report on particular activities. As technology develop more means of media as a tool of communications is been used to carry more news right to our door steps. Have you ever questions, the credibility of a reports or news? Something like 'is this a correct report" or "is this a propaganda"? This questions rise when we started to read different reporting on the same issue from different news agencies.

10. Second thought we could say it is the ability and strength of an agencies to capture their readers or audience. Which one is to the most accurate when come to "content". Were this reports wrongly written or purposely done or the journalist are not capable to produce good reports. Have you ever come across into these problems, when you read more than one publications? And as audience or readers, have you ever questions the mass media for it's credibility in the content of the news coverage?

11. Yet the flow of information is far from perfect. The media are very selective about where they invest their time and money, and the cult of "instantaneity" that technology encourages can flatten information into a homogenous stream of violent images and instant analysis. Nor is news reporting independent of the events under observation. Wars have always involved propaganda and offensives alongside military ones.

12. Aid agencies also get caught up in the media game. In Somalia, the first resort of most reporters unfamiliar with the events was to interview Western aid workers. Apart from often giving a one-sided picture, it raises the possibility that agencies may use publicity opportunities for fund-raising purposes. This phenomenon is not new. Different approach will bring different angle of more information to reader like us.

13. Hence some journalist has different approach in their news reporting and being more subjective because they had a strong purpose when they started to report. However, subjective reporting was often being criticized by people? Subjective reporting always being commented that it is not appropriate