Based on content analysis of global media and interviews with many diplomats and journalists, this article describes the trajectory of the media from objective observer to fiery advocate, becoming in fact a weapon of modern warfare.The article also shows how an open society, Israel, is victimized by its own openness and how a closed sect, Hezbollah, can retain almost total control of the daily message of journalism and propaganda.
David Brooks , “After the Fall,” New York Times, December 10, 2006.
2.
Jim Hoagland , “America, MIA in the Gulf,” Washington Post, December 17, 2006.
3.
George Packer , “Knowing the Enemy,” New Yorker, December 18, 2006, 65-66.
4.
Ibid., 60.
5.
Anthony Shadid , “Inside Hezbollah, Big Miscalculations ,” Washington Post, October 8, 2006.
6.
Steve Erlanger and Greg Myre, “Clashes Spread to Lebanon as Hezbollah Raids Israel,” New York Times, July 13, 2006.
7.
Ibid.
8.
Deborah Howell, “ A War of Images and Perceptions,”Washington Post, August 13, 2006.
9.
Staff Editorial, “ Whose War Crimes?”Wall Street Journal, December 11, 2006.
10.
Steve Erlanger , “Turmoil in the Middle East: Casualty Figures; With Israeli Use of Force, Debate Over Proportion” New York Times, July 19, 2006, http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=F50D10F83D5B0C7A8DDDAE0894DE404482.
11.
Kim Murphy, “ Warfare in the Middle East; Officials Say 28 Die in Qana, Not 54,” New York Times, August 4, 2006; Thanassis Cambanis and Charles A. Radin, “ Israel Backs Expansion of Ground War,” Boston Globe , August 1, 2006; Deborah Howell. “A War of Images and Perceptions.” Washington Post, August 13, 2006
12.
“Protest at Peres Nazi Image,” BBC News Online, April 1, 2001, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_East/1306587.stm (accessed January 11, 2006); Serge Schmemann, “ Voicing Regret, Israeli Leader Offers a Cease-Fire,” New York Times, April 19, 1996.
13.
“ Mideast War, by the Numbers,” Associated Press, August 17, 2006.
14.
Steve Erlanger and Thom Shanker, “ Israel Finding a Difficult Foe in Hezbollah,” New York Times, July, 262006.
15.
Colum Lynch and Robin Wright, “Peace Resolution for Lebanon Unanimously Approved at U.N.; Council Calls for Israeli Withdrawal, International Force,” Washington Post, August 12, 2006.
16.
Anthony Shadid, “ Hezbollah Chief Still Defiant at Huge Rally,”Washington Post, September 23, 2006.
17.
“ Mideast War, By the Numbers,” Associated Press.
18.
Ibid.
19.
“List of 180 Dead Hezbollah Terrorists Released of an Estimated 530 Killed Since Start of Fighting,” Israel Defense Forces: Official Website, August 14, 2006, http://www.1.idf.il/DOVER/site/mainpage.asp?sl=EN&id=7&clr=1&docid=56664.EN (accessed January 12, 2007).
20.
Statistical Survey of Arab and American Daily News Coverage Conducted by the Shorenstein Center on the Press Politics and Public Policy . 2006.
21.
“Picturing War: Media Content Analysis of the Coverage of the 2006 Lebanon War in International TV News,” Media Tenor, 2006, 33.
22.
23.
“TV News Reflects Nations' Differences Over Lebanon ,” Bloomberg News, August 12, 2006.
24.
“The War in Lebanon,” Media Monitor , Vol. XX No. 3: July/August 2006.
25.
Richard Engel and Martin Fletcher, “Civilian Deaths Mount in Lebanon as Israel Moves Troops to Lebanese Border,” NBC Nightly News, July 21, 2006.
26.
David Wright , “War Zone: Line of Fire,” ABC World News Tonight, July 17, 2006.
27.
28.
“Picturing War: Media Content Analysis of the Coverage of the 2006 Lebanon War in International TV News,” Media Tenor, 26.
29.
Ibid.
30.
Pierre Heumann , “An Interview with Al-Jazeera Editor-in-Chief Ahmed Sheikh,” Die Weltwoche, November 23, 2006, English translation by John Rosenthal.
31.
Lori Lowenthal Marcus, “What Did You Do During the War, UNIFIL?” Weekly Standard, September 4, 2006.
32.
“Lebanon—UNIFIL—UN Documents,” United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. July 25, 2006, http://www.un.org/depts/dpko/missions/UNIFIL./UNIFIL.press_jas.html (accessed January 11, 2006).
33.
Ibid., July 24, 2006, http://www.un.org/depts/dpko/missions/UNIFIL./UNIFIL.press_jas.html (accessed January 11, 2006).
34.
Lori Lowenthal Marcus, “What Did You Do During the War, UNIFIL?” The Weekly Standard, September 4, 2006.
35.
Anderson Cooper, “ Hezbollah Remains Secretive Organization,” Anderson Cooper 360 onCNN, August 9, 2006.
36.
Ibid.
37.
Kevin Sites, “ Guns in the Closet,” Kevin Sites in the Hot Zone, July 28, 2006. http://hotzone.yahoo.com/b/hotzone/blogs7984 .
38.
Anthony Shadid, “` It's Dangerous, but Hezbollah is Strong'; With Litani River's Bridges Destroyed, Lebanese Improvise to Supply to the South,” Washington Post, August 10, 2006.
39.
Jonathan Finer, “ Israeli Soldiers Find a Tenacious Foe in Hezbollah,” Washington Post, August 8, 2006.
40.
“ Coverage of the Lebanon War: The Media Responds,” Mideast Press Club, August 2006.
41.
Scott McGregor-Wood, “ Coverage of the Lebanon War: The Media Responds,” Mideast Press Club, 3.
42.
Steven Erlanger, “ Coverage of the Lebanon War:The Media Responds,” Mideast Press Club, 3.
43.
Stephen Farrell, “ Coverage of the Lebanon War:The Media Responds,” Mideast Press Club, 4.
44.
Walid Omary, “ Coverage of the Lebanon War: The Media Responds.” Mideast Press Club, 4.
45.
Faiza Saleh Ambah, “Arab World Riveted by Coverage of the `Sixth War,” The Washington Post, August 14, 2006.
46.
Ibid.
47.
Barrie Dunsmore, “ The Next War—Live?,” Discussion Paper D-22, The Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics andPublic Policy, March 1996, 1.
48.
“About Technorati,” Technorati , August 12, 2006, http://technorati.com/about/ .
49.
Steven Erlanger , “Coverage of the Lebanon War:The Media Responds,” Mideast Press Club, 10.
50.
Christopher Dickey and Babak Dehhanpisheh, “ Torn to Shreds,” Newsweek, July 31, 2006.
51.
Ibid.
52.
“Reuters Withdraws Photo After Alterations Found,” Reuters News Service, August 8, 2006.
53.
Paul Farhi, “ Blogger Takes Aim at News Media and Makes a Direct Hit,” Washington Post, August 9, 2006.
54.
“Reuters Withdraws Photo After Alterations Found,” Reuters News Service.
55.
Ibid.
56.
Ravi Nessman , “Coverage of the Lebanon War:The Media Responds,” Mideast Press Club, 6.
57.
“Media Experts Convene to Discuss How Mideast War is Waged in Blogosphere at Herzlyia Conference,” Israeli Insider, December 28, 2006, http://www.spme.net/cgibin/articles.cgi?ID=1645.
58.
Steven Erlanger , “Coverage of the Lebanon War:The Media Responds,” Mideast Press Club, 10.
59.
Staff Editorial, “ Framing the Story,” Washington Times, August 10, 2006.
60.
Chris Link , “Photos that Damn Hezbollah,” Australia Herald Sun, July 30, 2006, http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,,19955774-5007220,00.html.
61.
Faiza Saleh Ambah, “Arab World Riveted by Coverage of the `Sixth War.'”
62.
Lorne Manly, “ In Wars, Quest for Media Balance Is Also a Battlefield,” New York Times, August 14, 2006.
63.
Ibid.
64.
Ibid.
65.
Ibid.
66.
Shankar Vedantam, “ Two Views of the Same News Find Opposite Biases,”Washington Post, July 24, 2006.
67.
Faiza Saleh Ambah, “Arab World Riveted by Coverage of the `Sixth War.'”
68.
Ibid.
69.
Walid Omary, “ Coverage of the Lebanon War:The Media Responds,” Mideast Press Club, 11.
70.
Ibid.
71.
Abdelraouf Arnout, “ Coverage of the Lebanon War: The Media Responds,” Mideast Press Club, 5.
72.
Faiza Saleh Ambah, “Arab World Riveted by Coverage of the `Sixth War.'”
73.
Yoni Ben Menachem, “ Coverage of the Lebanon War: The Media Responds,” Mideast Press Club, 6.
74.
Nik Gowing, “Traditional News Media: Optimism, Pessimism and Realism,” Panel Discussion atHarvard University, Cambridge, MA, October 14, 2006.
75.
Ravi Nessman, “ Coverage of the Lebanon War:The Media Responds,” Mideast Press Club, 4.
