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Iraq 20 years later – what was the media’s role?
with Babak Bahador
Babak Bahador has analyzed American news coverage of armed conflicts from World War II through the 2003 Iraq War, and he’s noticed a pattern in the way politics, public opinion, and the media impact each other over the course of each war.
EPISODE NOTES
Today, many agree that the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the war that followed was a big mistake. But in the lead-up to the invasion and early months of the conflict, a majority of Americans, as well as our media and political leaders, stood in favor. What happened?
Guest Babak Bahador is a scholar who studies the relationship between peace, conflict, and the media – kind of like the academic version of this podcast. He teaches at George Washington University, where he directs the Media and Peacebuilding Project, and he founded the Peace News Network in 2015.
Babak has analyzed American news coverage of armed conflicts from World War II through the 2003 Iraq War, and he’s noticed a pattern in the way politics, public opinion, and the media impact each other over the course of each war.
In this wide-ranging conversation, Babak and host Jamil Simon begin by discussing coverage of the Vietnam War and the 2003 Iraq War. They also highlight the positive role of the media in Northern Ireland’s Good Friday peace agreement; touch on Ukraine, and reflect on how journalists can attract more attention to reconciliation and rebuilding efforts.
LEARN MORE
Read Babak Bahador’s research and analysis
Mapping the Enemy Image through Different Conflict Stages, University of Canterbury, 2011
Did pictures in the news media just change U.S. policy in Syria? Washington Post, 2017
Listen
Peace Journalism: at least don't make matters worse, our 2022 episode on Peace Journalism and the importance of language with Steve Youngblood
Slow Burn: The Road to the Iraq War, a podcast from Slate that explores the people and ideas that propelled the country into the Iraq war, and the institutions that failed to stop it.
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