"It is acceptable for a government to try to
shape public opinion through information campaigns. "
During the 2003 invasion of Iraq, it was evident to see specific
political ideologies being expressed throughout the media. This sparked
worldwide controversy as news companies were being criticized for their biased
approaches when communicating with the public. Fox news was seen to hold views
of a American conservative bias. On the other hand, Al Jazeera news was
criticized for depicting an anti-american Bias. Though both these channels have
denied these allegation, and made it clear that they aim to provide neutral
reporting, I personally believe that possessing a certain bias is inevitable.
It is part of human nature to seek approval, either it being explicitly or implicitly
expressed. On the other hand, I believe the government does have the
responsibility to present the public with a fair representations of the
realities of a situation. I thus disagree with this prompt, I believe it is not
acceptable for a government to try to shape public opinion through information
campaigns. Although moral and ethical issues are raised, I believe it is wrong for a country to change the publics opinion via information campaigns. Unfortunately, it is
often something that is practiced today, especially in instances such as the Iraq
War. However, as previously mentioned I do believe it is a part of human
nature to strive for social acceptance and support. Usually, the
government aims to shape the publics opinion in order to gain the publics
support by antagonizing the other side of the conflict. This leads to the government being able to easily justify their actions. In the case of the Iraq war, a
large majority of Americans believed that Iraq's regime was evil and that Americans were helping the Iraqis achieve freedom. Moreover in
the case of Jessica Lynch, the public believed that she was kidnapped and that she was mistreated and heroically saved by the
American soldiers. Several sources later on revealed that that story might not
be the case, some nurses from Iraq even went on to say that they took care of
her as their daughter. This sparked controversy because it signifies how
the government tried to twist the truth. The Jessica Lynch story gives the American public two impressions: firstly that the Iraqis seem like rebels who are fighting against Americans. Secondly, the American soldiers seem like heroes. This obviously advances the countrys agenda enables locals support, although they do possess a distorted image of the war- something that America would want but could be detrimental in the long run.
the government tried to twist the truth. The Jessica Lynch story gives the American public two impressions: firstly that the Iraqis seem like rebels who are fighting against Americans. Secondly, the American soldiers seem like heroes. This obviously advances the countrys agenda enables locals support, although they do possess a distorted image of the war- something that America would want but could be detrimental in the long run.
Insightful blog post Zena! I took the same sort of direction for my blog post, Do you think that this specific prompt could be good in any context? For example, if they are shaping the publics opinion for the publics own good? I really enjoy when you said, "The Jessica Lynch story gives the American public two impressions: firstly that the Iraqis seem like rebels who are fighting against Americans. Secondly, the American soldiers seem like heroes. " - Because I said something very similar in my post!
ReplyDeleteThis is great post Zena! You have some really interesting statements in your post, especially when you relate it back to events such as the Iraq War. I think you made great use of these examples and really used them to strengthen your points. Overall, I agree with your concepts and the idea that it is of human nature to seek approval is a fascinating one to consider on a wide scale. It might be something that is not done the right way, however it is still commonly done. Do you think theres any compromise between these two?
ReplyDeleteI agree with your perspective, and I admire how well you've communicated your opinion. To strengthen your argument, include some of the consequences the government and the public would receive. As your concluding line states "This whole thing will then distort the publics image of the war- something that America would want but would be detrimental in the long run. ". However, it doesn't mention how.
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