JCMC — Special Theme: War Coverage in Cyberspace
Source: Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication
+ Introduction: War in Cyberspace — “Nothing defines a civilization more than how it conducts itself in war, which, to paraphrase von Clausewitz (1833), is the continuation of diplomacy by other means. Why men turn to arms to settle disputes and resolve threats is a matter for international relations experts, but how information about war is disseminated and how audiences are affected fall under the purview of media experts and academicians. This special section of the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication examines the introduction of networked communication technologies and the effects of the digital world, and how the Internet has been utilized to cover international conflicts, primarily, the 2003 Iraq War. The seven articles included in this special section represent the efforts of scholars from different research traditions, orientations, and cultural backgrounds. The common thread running through this tapestry of research interests and methodologies is the desire to understand the dynamics, structures, and effects of global digital war coverage.”
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+ Speed, International Security, and “New War” Coverage in Cyberspace — “Mass media representations foster a view that the ‘War on Terror’ is taking place both everywhere and nowhere, presenting Western governments with an opportunity to mobilize public support in new and ubiquitous ways. Starting with Virilio’s critique of technology, speed, and de-territorialization, this article discusses the ways in which mass support is mobilized by the state in conventional pursuit of geopolitical objectives. Drawing on contemporary international relations theory, the authors introduce the concept of ’securitization’ and discuss how war coverage in cyberspace has been used to securitize international threats, such as ‘global terrorism,’ to justify state intervention, including war. It is concluded that one of the paradoxes of war coverage in cyberspace is that whereas cyber-technologies should democratize the politics of war by liberating access to information about war, the state has coopted information and communication technologies to facilitate new forms of mass mobilization for war itself.”
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+ Perceptions of News Credibility about the War in Iraq: Why War Opponents Perceived the Internet as the Most Credible Medium — “This study investigated cross-media credibility perception with respect to news coverage about the Iraq War. In an environment of political partisanship, perceptions of media credibility were likely affected by the audience’s political position on the war. Based on hostile media effect theory, a set of hypotheses was proposed to investigate whether the minority opinion group, war opponents, evaluated the Internet as a more credible medium than did neutrals or supporters. An online survey was conducted to which 481 people responded (71% war supporters, 19% opponents, 10% neutrals). Results showed that opponents of the war perceived the Internet as less aligned with a pro-government position and as more credible than did neutrals or supporters. The opponent group also showed a strong negative correlation between perceived pro-government alignment and perceptions of Internet credibility. For the minority partisan group, the diversity of information and views on the war was the main reason for the perception of high credibility of the Internet as a news channel.”
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+ The Internet and Anti-War Activism: A Case Study of Information, Expression, and Action — “This case study examines how traditional and Internet news use, as well as face-to-face and online political discussion, contributed to political participation during the period leading up to the Iraq War. A Web-based survey of political dissenters (N=307) conducted at the start of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq provides the data used to examine the relationships among informational media use, online and face-to-face political discussion, and political participation among the respondents, who were recruited through blogs, discussion boards, and listservs opposing the Iraq war. Analyses reveal that among these respondents, Internet news use contributed to both face-to-face and online discussion about the situation in Iraq. Online and face-to-face political discussion mediated certain news media effects on anti-war political participation. The study stresses the complementary role of Web news use and online political discussion relative to traditional modes of political communication in spurring political participation.”
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+ Online Journalism and the War in Cyberspace: A Comparison between U.S. and International Newspapers — “The 2003 Iraq War was the first military conflict in which online media played a significant role. Traditional news organizations from around the world provided extensive coverage of the conflict on their websites, reaching global audiences and adding new dimensions to traditional war reporting. This study explores how the Internet disseminated news about the war by comparing 26 international newspaper sites (N=791) and their use of Web-specific features such as hyperlinks, animations, multimedia content, and interactive elements. By proposing a three-stage model of online journalism and applying it to the online war coverage, the analysis suggests that online journalism has not yet reached the state of convergence. The differences in online news coverage between the United States and international websites and their implications are also discussed.”
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+ Remembering Our Shared Past: Visually Framing the Iraq War on U.S. News Websites — “This exploratory study analyzes how United States news websites visually portray ongoing (contemporaneous) events and examines their potential role in shaping collective memory by commemorating past (resurrected) events through anniversary retrospectives. A content analysis of 526 images on the home pages of 26 mainstream news sites indicates that during the first five weeks of the Iraq War, the visual emphasis shifted from the official U.S. war machine to the more personal face of those touched by war, both Americans and Iraqis, as photojournalists traveled with the troops to Baghdad. The five main frames that emerged reinforced the patriotic, government-friendly war narrative: conflict, conquest, rescue, victory, and control. By the first, second, and third anniversaries of the war, the visual coverage of hostilities had dropped dramatically. This article discusses some of the reasons why online news sites did not feature many anniversary commemorations of the Iraq War.”
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+ Issue Publics on the Web: Applying Network Theory to the War Blogosphere — “This study had two primary objectives. The first was to examine the predictors of preferential attachment in the war blog network. A multiple regression analysis revealed use of links to blogs and original reporting content as significant predictors of incoming links. Second, the war blogosphere was mapped to reveal two distinct halves, the liberal and the conservative. Measures of network centrality identified key blogs, some of which served as conduits between the two spheres. Other differences between the sides were examined.”
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+ The Online Public Sphere in the Arab World: The War in Iraq on the Al Arabiya Website
Source: Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication
“Many aspects make online media attractive to news readers, including low cost, ease and speed of access, and the opportunity for readers to ask questions, provide feedback, participate in discussions, and interact with other readers in ways not previously possible. Given that traditional media in the Arab world generally are subject to strict government control, the participatory features that accompany the new online media should make these sources even more attractive to users. However, comments posted by readers of online media in the Arab world are still subject to some monitoring and content regulation. This study explores the potential of online media in the Arab world to foster civic engagement. The online source selected for study is www.alarabiya.net, the official website for the popular TV station Al Arabiya in Dubai. Ethnographic observation and analysis of the content of articles published during the Iraq War on Al Arabiya’s site and the responses they received show that Arabs not only challenged the views of the Al Arabiya site about the war, but they also offered their own versions of the truth.”

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 7th, 2006 at 12:47 pm and is filed under International, Internet, Media and entertainment, Middle East, Military and defense, Social and cultural issues. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.