International Conflict and the Media

ACTIVITY 20: The Bombed Out Bomb Shelter

Introduction

Most evidence indicates that there were few Iraqi civilian casualties during the war. Most targetsof the Coalition's air war were properly targeted, but in war mistakes happen. Whether or not thebomb shelter was or was not a proper military target is still debated. This episode was one of thefew incidents during the war which was shown to Americans and Europeans which pointed outthe harshness of war. If targeting the bomb shelter was a mistake, American authorities have yetto admit it. Whether or not it was a mistake, the Iraqis acquired one of their few propagandavictories in the war due to the destruction of the bomb shelter. The purpose of this activity is toexamine how the press and media dealt with this controversial topic in wartime.

Student Objectives

• To examine how governments influence media during international conflict and conversely,how international media influences the course of international conflicts.
• To explore what are the responsibilities of a journalist during an international conflict.
• To examine the ways in which the press and media influence the opinions of readers/viewers.
• To analyze and evaluate different perspectives on an issue.

Time

2-3 class periods

Materials

Copies of Readings 20A-N, one reading for each student

Recommended Procedures

1. If the students have not carried out the "Images of the Gulf War", Activity 8, simply ask themto write what visual images of the conflict that they may remember (if any). After five minutes,ask students to volunteer a few of their visual images. Some students may remember thedestroyed bomb shelter or the destruction of other buildings in Baghdad.
2. Distribute the Readings 20A-N, one Reading to each student. As Readings vary in length and readinglevel, you might consider giving certain students the more difficult readings. If some of thestudents read their sheet quickly, they may exchange with other students.
3. After all the students have finished reading, ask them to report briefly and as objectively aspossible what the Reading states or shows. As some students will attempt to interpret theinformation or contradict it, simply state that there will be a time to evaluate the informationlater; for the moment, the task is to report as objectively as possible on the source.
4. Encourage the students to take notes on each reported Reading, particularly on those areas ofdisagreement or differences of opinion. After the Readings are presented, ask the students toevaluate the information contained in their Reading. Students should be able to give generalinformation about the source, such as a first hand observer of the event, a U.S. governmentsource, a military briefing, etc.

Do they believe that the information given is accurate?

If they believe that it is accurate, ask them how do they reconcile the contradictoryinformation that other Readings might contain.

What do they think is the source of the information in the Reading?

What are the problems with eyewitnesses accounts?

Government sources?

How should a reporter respond to these sources?

5. Ask the students to consider how might the source be biased with regard to the topic. U.S.government and military might be interested in playing the episode down; Iraqi governmentmight be interested in playing up the event as a means of gaining support for their position.Who do they think wrote the article? Students may be able to determine general categories,such as the writer may have been with a newspaper or news magazine, or it may have beenwritten by an author from a different country other than the United States.
6. Discuss the fact that Peter Arnett remained behind in Baghdad and reported on the Gulfconflict. Iraqi officials censored his reports. Ask the students to consider:

Should Arnett have remained behind and filed his reports?

Had Arnett and other Western journalists not remained in Baghdad, how would theirabsence have influenced this story about the bombing of the shelter?

How might readers of this material be influenced by its presentation?

7. Return to the "Images of the Persian Gulf Conflict," Activity 8. Ask the students if they havealtered any of their images about the war. One news source has stated that the leader of Iraq,Saddam Hussein, may have been in the bomb shelter when it was targeted, but left before itwas actually hit. If this was true, would it have been proper to have bombed the shelter withthe expectation that Saddam Hussein might have been in it and his death might have ended thewar sooner with many fewer casualties?

Extending the lesson

Ask the students to write an article based upon what they have heard. Depending upon timeavailable, this assignment could be done as homework. Compare the student responses. As somestudents read their stories, ask others to critic the stories based upon the information contained intheir Readings.

Ask the students to collect sources about any current international conflict. Compare and contrastthese sources in the same way that this activity was implemented.

Return to the Contents page for International Conflict and the Media.

Go to Activity 21.

Go to the Bibliography.