In the most comprehensive study of the media and foreign policy, twenty distinguished scholars and analysts explain the role played by the mass media and public opinion in the development of United States foreign policy in the Gulf War.
Tracing the flow of news, public opinion, and policy decisions from Sadam Hussein's rise to power in 1979, to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, through the outbreak and conclusion of the war, the contributors look at how the media have become key players in the foreign policy process. They examine the pre-war media debate, news coverage during and after the war, how the news-gathering process shaped the content of the coverage, and the media's effect on public opinion and decision makers. We see what goes on behind the scenes in the high tech world of political communication, and are confronted by troubling questions about the ways the government managed coverage of the war and captured journalists at their own news game.
"Taken by Storm" also examines more general patterns in post-Cold war journalism and foreign policy, particularly how contemporary journalistic practices determine whose voices and what views are heard in foreign policy coverage. At stake are the reactions of a vast media audience and the decision of government officials who see both the press and the public and key elements of the policy game.
The first book to fully integrate our understanding of the news business, public opinion, and government action, "Taken by Storm" transcends the limits of the Gulf War to illuminate the complex relationship between the media, the public, and U.S. foreign policy in the late twentieth century.

This book examines processes of media change in post-Communist countries. In this re-examination of the media under the Communist system and its role in the transition, the stress is on analysis of media policy and media systems. The author develops a model of change in Central and Eastern Europe and how it can be applied. As such, the intention is to illustrate the main elements and mechanisms of the process as exemplified by the situation in selected countries. Hoping to make the book as forward looking as possible, and to grasp the full range of factors weighing on media policies today and in the future, discussion is devoted to the way international integration has affected and will affect media policy in post-Communist countries.

Although just a decade ago, the destruction of a European state and society through war and genocide remains one of the worst global crises of the post Cold War era with reverberations still felt today. Bombardment and sieges of major towns and cities, concentration and death camps, and the mass slaughter and expulsion of civilians were all characteristics of a type of warfare that Europe had never dreamed might return. The war against Bosnia had a major impact on European and wider global consciousness, being as it was then, the most reported, debated and analyzed conflict to date. But despite the extensive coverage of Bosnia the author contends the conflict and its origins were certainly misunderstood, there being a significant gulf between media perspectives and the thrust of academic discourse. This multidisciplinary book is based on extensive research into the TV and newspaper framing of the war during the critical early period of its development. Uniquely the analysis of media is underpinned by an extensive and detailed historical argument about the nature of the wars and the politics of the Federation, including the use of media in war-making strategies in Yugoslavia itself. It will be of interest to scholars of IR and politics, media, communication and journalism studies, and war and genocide studies. Journalists and the general reader will find the book accessible with valuable insights into reporting war and understanding media representation of conflict. Key issues and questions addressed include: the critical use of official sources and propaganda in journalism; how media and policymakers interact to define and frame problems for policy action; what factors limit the accurate reporting of war, what is genocide and how is the Genocide Convention relevant in practice; and how to report genocide when such coverage conflicts with state interests.

Taking political scandal as the entry point, this book presents a study of comparative political communication. It explores themes such as how and why journalists construct their scandal stories, what kind of narratives were told, the impact of political scandal, and what, if anything, this tells readers about the putative power of the press.

Ballard (sociology, California State U.-Northridge) uses three theories of political policy making to analyze what happened before and after the April 1995 bombing, which policy elites were the most active in the media immediately afterward, which groups were effective in getting policy passed in the year after, and what the policy process means fo

The rising popularity of political communication research warrants this second volume. In 1990, the International Association for Mass Communication Research (IAMCR) elevated the Political Communication Research Group (PCRG) to section status. The American Political Science Association recently formed a Political Communication section, and the International Communication Association's Political Communication section continues to thrive.

The rising popularity of political communication research warrants this second volume. In 1990, the International Association for Mass Communication Research (IAMCR) elevated the Political Communication Research Group (PCRG) to section status. The American Political Science Association recently formed a Political Communication section, and the International Communication Association's Political Communication section continues to thrive.

The rising popularity of political communication research warrants this second volume. In 1990, the International Association for Mass Communication Research (IAMCR) elevated the Political Communication Research Group (PCRG) to section status. The American Political Science Association recently formed a Political Communication section, and the International Communication Association's Political Communication section continues to thrive.

The rising popularity of political communication research warrants this second volume. In 1990, the International Association for Mass Communication Research (IAMCR) elevated the Political Communication Research Group (PCRG) to section status. The American Political Science Association recently formed a Political Communication section, and the International Communication Association's Political Communication section continues to thrive.

"An immensely readable collection of perspectives on the relationship between insurgent terrorism and the media which is long overdue and which sets the standard for future investigation in an area almost devoid of objective review. . . . This is a powerful collection of essays, partly due to the sense the reviewer has that editors Paletz and Schmid approached their subject with almost missionary zeal. This is not to say that they lack intellectual rigour; they most certainly do not, but their style, together with that of their contributors, reflects a real commitment to set the academic pace. . . . If I were a professor . . . [I would tell] my students to read Terrorism and the Media when they weren't listening to me. No one could wish for a better perspective than that."

--The Journal of Contingencies & Crisis Management

"The book is an excellent starting point, rich with examples, citations, and perspectives lacking in many earlier volumes. It offers readers analytical insight into the goals and aspirations of the various players. It will become a major departure point for anyone wishing to understand the roles played by media in terrorist violence. . . . Gerrits' study makes excellent use of memoirs and interviews of participants to show the importance of communication to the groups and their purposes. But she avoids the narrow bias against the media portrayed by many observers of the problem."

--Journal of Communication

"This book is a rarity in the academic literature on terrorism: a theme pursued for the most part with genuine intellectual quality control. Social scientific rigor outweighs loose moralizing; and research rather than intuition backs up the contributors' judgments."

--Brendan O'Leary, London School of Economics

"Terrorism and the Media is an unusual, important, and thoughtful collaboration by two major authorities in different fields--terrorism and media studies. It's the most comprehensive overview available that discusses the experiences of all participants."
--David C. Rapoport, University of California, Los Angeles
Editor, Terrorism and Political Violence

"This is a long awaited book. It is a unique collection of studies and reviews of different perspectives on the media-terrorism nexus. It includes the perspectives of the terrorists, the governments, the media, the victims, and the researchers. It combines excellent reviews of the studies conducted in this area with some original data and analysis. This is a comprehensive and interesting book that covers the many facets of mass-mediated terrorism including a critical review of the assumptions and approaches guiding researchers in this value-laden area."

--Gabriel Weimann, University of Haifa, Israel

"Much of the literature on terrorism and the media is based on anecdotal, impressionistic, and even propagandistic treatments. The editors of this pioneering effort attempt to remedy this shortcoming by assembling authorities from different academic disciplines, including journalism, who have explored the topic more systematically. The result is a data-filled, yet interesting, account of the views of terrorists (obtained through memoirs and interviews), broadcasting organizations, journalists, editors, the public, and the victims (gathered by questionnaires, interviews and journalistic techniques). . . . Highly recommended."
--Choice

"Terrorism and the Media is a valuable book on a topic that has received much attention in the last 20 years. It should prove useful to scholars who work in this area."

--Journalism Quarterly

Terrorism and the Media is the first book to present the diverse perspectives of those involved with terrorism and the media: researchers, terrorists, government, broadcasting organizations, editors, reporters, the public, and the victims. The book is based on original material gathered from terrorists' spokespersons and writings, as well as on questionnaire responses from broadcasters and editors; additionally, the book contains a reporter's personal account, includes a comprehensive interpretation of opinion polls, and analyzes the experiences of victims. It also features a definitive categorization and assessment of the literature on terrorism. Highly regarded for their previous work in this area, the contributors scrutinize such key issues as freedom of the press, codes of ethics, intimidation, victimization, and censorship. Thoughtful and thought-provoking, Terrorism and the Media will appeal to scholars and students in political science, communication studies, journalism, and international relations.