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Kosovo Media Coverage

Operational Constraints. Access - military operations generate extremely dangerous situations for journalists (insurance!)Each journalist has only an ant's eye view of the conflict (John Simpson's analogy of war as a football match)

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Kosovo Media Coverage

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    1. Kosovo Media Coverage Regardless of whether you believe it was good or bad, we need to understand the operational constraints upon journalism at war Real War and Media or TV War not - and never have been - the same thing What is surprising is that anyone should be surprised by this

    2. Operational Constraints Access - military operations generate extremely dangerous situations for journalists (insurance!) Each journalist has only an ants eye view of the conflict (John Simpsons analogy of war as a football match) Fog of war generated by warring factions trying to control global media agenda

    3. Operational Constraints Satellite time and pressure of speed over accuracy and context Public Service tradition of reporting both sides - accusations of reporting enemy propaganda Parachute journalism and the decline of the specialised foreign and defence correspondent Media as participants, not observers (RTS) and even as catalysts (initial intervention)

    4. Real War vs. Media War Real wars are nasty, brutal affairs, the experience of which can never be captured by mediation Media wars are a combination of a (mis)representation of reality, a tradition of informing the public and increasingly significant official agenda-setting within an increasingly commercialised and competitive media environment

    5. Our Wars and Other Peoples Wars In real wars in which our boys are involved, the media have always been patriotic (even in Vietnam) In OPWs, media have more of a problem (Bosnia pre 1995) Kosovo was an OPW in which we got involved Taking sides inevitable since this OPW became OW Sympathy with the human interest - humanitarian aspects of Kosovo Albanians rather than demonised Serbs

    6. Any Surprises, 1999? Not really - many similar characteristics to Gulf War (1991) reporting Restrictions on access for western correspondents in enemy country under fire Pro-NATO, anti-Serb Largely supportive because greater access to NATO spokesmen than Serb When UK government criticised media, its a clue that media are doing a reasonable job in reporting both sides

    7. Any Surprises, 1999? Tabloid excesses (Clobba Slobba) Marginalisation of dissent when public support is in majority Seizure on NATO (information) policy mistakes (convoy, Chinese embassy, collateral damage) Iraqi TV taken out in 1991, so why the shock at RTS?

    8. Any Surprises, 1999? Mobile phone, satellite access to foreign TV, and internet access Demassification of journalism as sole messenger from theatre of operations When the crisis exists, the media interest is massive When the crisis subsides, the media exit

    9. Conclusions Still too early to know exactly how wide image-reality gap was (scale of genocide; impact of NATO bombing) Expectations that the media can tell the truth, especially the whole truth, during wartime belie an understanding of the war-media dynamic The media need to appreciate this or else be hoist on their own petard as guardians of the conscience of liberal democracies

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