INSTRUCTOR: Jack Lule PH: (610)758-4177 EMAIL: JL0D@lehigh.edu (where 0 is zero)

On this page are the assignments for Monday and Thursday of Week Three.

DEADLINES: A reminder -- each week I will post reading and writing assignments by Monday, 7 p.m. and Thursday, 7 p.m.

You should have the Monday assignments completed by Thursday, 7 p.m. You should have the Thursday assignments completed by Monday, 7 p.m.

WEEK THREE, MONDAY:

War raises some of the most important issues facing international communication.

War is perhaps the most dramatic, significant action a nation can take. Reporting about war is, likewise, perhaps the most dramatic, significant action that the news undertakes.

Tension between the military and the news media is natural and perhaps healthy. The military is dedicated to a successful war effort. The news media is dedicated to reporting that effort. The two objectives, both crucial to society, often clash.

For this week, we will study some of the issues surrounding the reporting of war.

Our first readings are drawn from, "America's Team: The Odd Couple — A Report on the Relationship Between the Media and the Military," an interesting and innovative study undertaken by a journalist and military officer — Frank A. Aukofer and William P. Lawrence.

Their research was intense. They studied press coverage and press briefings. They interviewed reporters and officers.

Their "Introduction" captures many of the issues that arise from reporting on war. And they offer an excellent history of war reporting in two different chapters: "The First Two Centuries" and "Grenada to Desert Storm."

For your assignment, I would like you to do two things:

1) Read the three chapters by Aukofer and Lawrence and consider the evolution of American war reporting. Then, please send me an email message at jl0d@lehigh.edu summarizing in your own words the evolution of war reporting. There's no need to repeat the details of the chapters. Just try to capture the history in your own words in a screen or so.

2) We will want to talk about some of these things in conference. As you will see from the readings, one of the most passionate and provocative issues in international communication concerns news coverage of the Vietnam War.

After you finish the readings, think about what you have read and heard about Vietnam war coverage and then let's talk about it: What have you heard? Did the U.S. news media help "lose" the war in Vietnam? Have you discussed this in classes? With friends? Bring anything you can to our conference. It's an important and interesting issue. See you there.

Remember, to attain the best grade for conference discussions: You should post once early, before midnight Wednesday, responding to the assignment and perhaps making reference to the readings. Then before Thursday, 7 p.m. you should post again, to the same conference, commenting on one or more of your classmates' postings.

A procedural note: The links above will bring you to the complete study as published by the Freedom Forum. You should use them, in case you want to read further in the site. In the event those links do not work, you can also find copies of the readings on my site at: "Introduction;" and "The First Two Centuries;" and "Grenada to Desert Storm."

On Thursday, we will look more closely at news coverage of a conflict you perhaps are most familiar with: The Gulf War.

WEEK THREE, THURSDAY: We have spent much of our conference time thinking about the difficult issues raised by news reporting of the Vietnam War.

You have lived through another war in which the reporting was also extremely controversial: the Persian Gulf War.

The issues raised by this war, however, were quite different. News reporters charged that the military -- acting on the belief that the media helped cause the American loss in Vietnam -- obsessively controlled and censored the news.

The military charged that the news media almost overwhelmed officials with sheer numbers and that control was needed if only to protect the journalists themselves.

Some critics of the entire process said reporters seemed only too happy to work with the military. Critics said the news media served as "cheerleaders" for the war effort.

Let's look at two discussions of reporting on the Persian Gulf War. Our first discussion will draw once again from "America's Team: The Odd Couple — A Report on the Relationship Between the Media and the Military," by Frank A. Aukofer and William P. Lawrence.

Their chapter on "Coverage of the Persian Gulf War" offers a good summary of the issues. In the event that link does not work, you can also find a copy on my site at: "Gulf War".

I would also like you to look at another, much more controversial discussion of Gulf War reporting. John MacArthur, publisher and author of the book, Second Front: Censorship and Propaganda in the Gulf War, is a scathing critic of Gulf War coverage.

A speech by him, "Censorship and Propaganda in the Gulf War," represents his views well.

Unfortunately, both these readings are somewhat long -- though they are both quite interesting. Please give yourself enough time to read and consider them.

The question I want you to consider: Having read the summary by Aukofer and Lawrence, having read or seen other views of Gulf War news coverage, what do you think of MacArthur's argument? Do you think his views are well-founded and why?

Because of the length of the readings and because I don't want you to have to spend TOO much time online, you won't need to send me any email about these readings. We'll do our work in conference. See you there.

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