Propaganda in War

In the first lesson of this module, we discussed ways of creating public consent for acts of war, and then we watched a film - called War and Spin - about how to control representations of international conflict in the media.


Set during the second Gulf War, War and Spin follows British and American journalists as they cavort around the Iraqi landscape in pursuit of objective news reportage. While intended as comment on the coalition's strict handling of media access during the war, overall I found myself cheering on the American infantry, who spent the whole thing landing helicopters and speeding around the sparkling dunes of the Iraqi desert in IMVs. Private Jessica Lynch is hot as the love interest rescued from evil Iraqi doctors, and Brigadier General Vincent Brooks (pictured above) is convincing as the army spokesman in the media centre, lording over the holographic display screen while telling the nosey brit to lie the f**k down. In fact the last person you wanted to be (apart obviously from an Iraqi extra or Saddam) was the lead journalist (played by Clive Myrie) who was either a) miserably embedded with troops and being made to cry because he couldn't hold a gun, or b) miserably cooped up in the CENTCOM centre with hundreds of other journalists and being made to cry because Brig. Gen. Brooks told him his question was literally meaningless in front of everyone.

Of course I'm being glib, but only because this blog is about PR, not the horrors of war or the moral and political ramifications of unilateral regime change. And from the point of view of PR, it seems that the second war in the Gulf created what practitioners crave: infinite journalistic interest combined with utter journalistic dependency. Naturally, journalists were quick to criticise the restrictions put on their work, but they couldn't complain too loudly. The amount of media access made possible during the conflict was unprecedented.

But it remains debateable how far coverage of the Iraq war actually helped to sway public opinion in the UK, a significant proportion of which continued to oppose the war, even after the invasion began. Initial coverage was generally positive - perhaps due to the PR strategies employed - and for a short time, the war went from political liability to boon. However, as the conflict has dragged out and its premises have continued to be tested, the media excitement around the 2003 offensive has given way to more sober assessment, with the only respite being what some have called Iraq Fatigue, which has to some extent dulled reader and editor interest in the issue. Damaging criticism of Tony Blair, George Bush and Gordon Brown as a result of the war shows that even with favourable PR conditions in place, it remains difficult, if not impossible, to polish a political turd.