International Conflict and the Media

ACTIVITY 24: Implications for the Future

Introduction

Marshal McLuhan, author of Understanding Media: The Extension of Man, was one of firstobservers to recognize the impact of media upon society. According to McLuhan, "societies havealways been shaped more by the nature of the media by which men communicate than by thecontent of the communication." The media sends a message along with the message. Perceptionand interpretation will be affected by the simultaneous messages. The extension of any one sensealters the way we think and act. The way we think and act creates a new environment, whatMcLuhan referred to as the "global village." Constant exposure to television results in the sharingof common "TV stimuli" by everyone in society. Process creates a reservoir of common mediaexperiences that are stored in our brains. Each medium conditions the brain to receive and toprocess information in specified ways. The role of audience is altered.

Clearly, there were linkages among three variables: 1) the press and media; 2) public opinion; and3) the government's ability to pursue the Gulf War. The government influenced the press andmedia. The press and media influence public opinion. But public opinion also influenced the pressand was certainly a factor in decision making in the government.

In many ways the Gulf War was an aberration. It is unlikely that the events that created andsustained the Gulf War will be duplicated in future conflicts. However, like the Vietnam War,those who participated in the Gulf War learned lessons that will influence future relationshipsbetween the military and the press. This activity examines some of these lessons that may bedrawn from the Gulf War.

Student Objectives

• To understand what the military learned from the Gulf War vis-a-vis the press.
• To learn what the press learned from the Gulf War vis-a-vis the military.
• To project future relationship between the military and the press based upon experiences in theGulf War.
• To understand how technology changed reporting during the war and understand thattechnology will likely change reporting in future conflicts.

Time

1 class period

Materials

Copies of Readings 24A-C for each student

Recommended Procedures

1. Distribute Reading 24A. After the students have read it, ask them to consider:

What were the real issues in the Gulf War?

What role did technology play in the war?

What role will technology likely play in a future conflict?

2. Distribute Reading 24B. After the students have read it, ask them to consider:

What role did television play during the war?

Why did the military and the government want to control television?

What role does television play in their own lives?

Why will television likely play an important role in conflicts in the future?

3. Distribute Reading 24C. Explain to the students that in addition to reporting the news, thepress and media are also actors in the foreign policy. This Reading examines the specific role oftelevision. After the students have read the selection, ask them to consider:

What role would they project for television in future crises or wars based upon theReading?

How has television changed the way foreign policy is made?

Are these changes good or bad?

4. Whatever position the students take, be sure that they justify them. Ask other students if theyagree or disagree with other students. If they disagree with other students, make them supporttheir opinions.

Extending the Lesson

1. Ask the students to read Marshall McLuhan's Understanding Media: The Extension ofMan, and determine what implications McLuhan's observations have for the future.

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

Go to Activity 25.

Go to the Bibliography.