Essay on Mass Media and New York Times

Submitted By Miyakii
Words: 7466
Pages: 30
Open Document
The “CNN Effect” of Mass Media on Humanitarian Aid: A Case Study of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Syria

Monica Farrell
SUNY New Paltz
N02492332@hawkmail.newpaltz.edu
3/20/14

I. Introduction

Often times, certain humanitarian issues receive more media attention than others. The media’s role in providing information to citizens has been amplified due to globalization. Recently, issues of politics and specifically foreign policy have been focused on largely by mass media (Robinson 1999, Ogrizek 2007). Many refer to this as the “CNN Effect.” Although some argue that the news plays no role in determining the outcome of a foreign policy issue, some people believe that news can dictate foreign policy decisions (Robinson 1999, Ogrizek 2007, Baum 1998).

Many different factors help determine the level of humanitarian aid a state is expected to receive, including the interests of donors, political interests of the region as well as the nature of the aid business. However, in prior examinations of states with previous humanitarian conflict such as Rwanda, Somalia, Kosovo, Iraq and Bosnia, studies have demonstrated that the stronger the media portrayal of a humanitarian conflict, the larger the amount of humanitarian aid the region will receive (Robinson 1999, Livingston 1997, The Brookings Institution, Baum 1998).

This paper will conclude that a higher amount of media attention will lead to a larger amount of humanitarian aid intervention through analyzing the CNN Effect, goals of the media, previous scholarly research on Somalia, conducting original research on the Democratic Republic of Congo and Syria and finally, examining the framing of these issues.

II. Defining the “CNN Effect”

In order to understand how exactly media portrayal affects humanitarian aid, the terminology “CNN Effect” and the different aspects of the effect need to be defined. During the 1980s, new technology allowed media coverage to be live, constant and international (Robinson 1999). The end of the Cold War brought about a new wave of thinking regarding the role of technology. The news aimed to provide coverage that would evoke an emotional reaction and demand a rapid response from political elites. The public witnessed events such as the collapse of the Berlin Wall, the rallies of Tiananmen Square and the fall of communism through TV news media (Robinson 1999). Even today, policy makers have acknowledged that they often first hear of troubled regions in the world from international news coverage (Robinson 1999). The CNN Effect also allows enemies such as Osama bin Laden to use the news to spread negative propaganda about the US (The Brookings Institution 2013). Although there is little disagreement that the CNN Effect has altered the way citizens receive and view events in the media, there is still question of whether the media portrayal changes the way governments shape their foreign policy and respond to issues of international affairs.

The media can be perceived as a non-state actor that operates in three ways. First, the media is an accelerant (Robinson 1999). Because the CNN Effect allows media portrayal to be in real time, it demands a quick response from policy makers and political elites. For example, during times of war or genocide, the media may reference potential security risks that would require an immediate response from the government (Livingston 1997). Former Secretary of State James A. Baker, III states his view of the CNN Effect as, “The one thing it does is to drive policymakers to have a policy decision. I would have to articulate it very quickly. You are in real-time mode. You don’t have time to reflect” (Livingson 1997). An example of this was when the media criticized President Bush’s reaction to Hurricane Katrina because of the administration’s slow response to the situation (Ogrizek 2007). The media’s disapproval of how Bush handled the hurricane solicited a better response to the crisis from the Bush
Show More

Related Documents: Essay on Mass Media and New York Times

Power of Media Essay

POWER OF MEDIA INTRODUCTION The media reaches over a 100 million people a day. Due to its tremendous audience and the impact it has, the media has been able to change public opinion, American policy, and even American history. The media's powerful influence can be seen through its portrayal of major events like the Vietnam War, The Spanish-American War, Watergate and several others. Through the years the role of media in publish affairs has changed as its influence has grown. The…

Words 2710 - Pages 11

Gun Violence And Media Analysis

steady media coverage over the last years, but what has changed is the amount of media attention dedicated to this issue and how that framing has respectably changed with time. Although more than 30,000 people die from firearm homicide and suicide each year while another 80,000+ are wounded, gun violence is rarely at the top of the US public political agenda (McGinty). When a horrific act of violence occurs such as a mass shootings occur, that is when news media coverage is at an all-time high, along…

Words 1772 - Pages 8

example of informative speech outline Essay

EXAMPLE OF INFORMATIVE SPEECH OUTLINE Informative Outline Topic: Impact of Media in the Society and Individual General Purpose: To Inform Specific Purpose: To inform my audience the negative impact of social media in the society and to the individual. Thesis: Social media websites are some of the most popular haunts on the Internet. They have revolutionized the way people communicate and socialize on the Web. I. Introduction A. Attention Getter: Today, just about everyone…

Words 912 - Pages 4

Comm Paper PDF

Mass Communications in Canada CS101 B Patrick Rachuba 121662030 Prof: Dr. Hunsinger TA: Natalie Hancock Group 3 Essay Patrick Rachuba ID#: 121662030 CS101 Dr. Hunsinger TA: Natalie Hancock The Ways Social Media Intersects With The Theories of Globalization Globalization today is understood as one of the most essential concepts of daily global function. Through the global expansion of communication networks such as the internet, television, radio, etc. individuals from all corners of the world…

Words 1658 - Pages 7

Essay about Ocean and Mainstream Media Source

Alternative VS. Mainstream Media The ocean is warming up. The temperature is rising, and with it should be our concern. According to scientists from the Climate Change and European Marine Ecosystems Research project, with the temperature of the oceans reaching such a high it’s led the largest movement of marine species in two to three million years. Recourses are quickly diminishing, shows a study of fourteen protected and eighteen unprotected ecosystems in the Mediterranean…

Words 1215 - Pages 5

Conservatives vs Liberals: the Merry-Go-Round of Political Party Rhetoric Essay

Rhetoric “Liberals and conservatives are two gangs who have intimidated rational, normal thinking human beings in to not having a voice on television or in the culture. Liberals and conservatives are paradigms that mean nothing to anyone other than the media” --Jon Stewart Today’s society seems to be overrun by dueling dichotomies. If one is not for ‘team Edward’, then one is…

Words 1618 - Pages 7

Essay on Mass Media and Zimmerman

Television News Program Analysis COM/310 July 23, 2012 Margaret Allender Television News Program Analysis In the media now days, every media sources has their own way or portraying what is going on the world today. Based on three mass media sources ABC, NPR radio, and The New York Times the main topic being discussed today is the Zimmerman trial case. George Zimmerman was a security guard is accused of killing an innocent 17-year-old boy who was a different race than George in self-defense…

Words 1130 - Pages 5

Columbine School Shooting Research Paper

As twelve students and a teacher lay dead in their school twenty-five years ago, nobody could predict that years later, the epidemic of mass shootings would infest the United States. The Columbine school shooting was a day when halls of learning were turned into halls of horror, shattering the illusion of safety within sanctuaries. In the years leading up to the tragic event, shootings, particularly in schools, were almost unheard of. However, on April 20, 1999, two young men shattered the innocence…

Words 2815 - Pages 12

Moral Panics SOCIOLOGY Essay

Panics Moral panics was introduced by sociologist Stanley Cohen studying the youth culture in the 60s. Cohen looked at the media reaction to the fights between the mods and rockers at various seaside resorts in Britain in the mid-60s. His term ‘moral panic’ came to mean ‘a mass response to a group, a person or an attitude that becomes defined as a threat to society’. (Media studies; The Essential Introduction 2001 ed) Cohen described moral panics as cultural politics. Moral panics are considered…

Words 1048 - Pages 5

Essay about Manufacturing Consent

the greatest intellectual alive' (Fox, 1998) by the New York Times as he not only is a very outspoken professor, he is also an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, logician, historian, political critic and activist. The information in this essay was obtained from his video called: Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media. Manufacturing Consent is the control of distribution of ideas and stories by media to purposely be in charge of the results and beliefs…

Words 1322 - Pages 6