4 ms·
My view is that this is part of the single most important narrative that all news media ultimately contribute to: the story of the lead up to, causes of and jus
by scandox 5y ago
My view is that this is part of the single most important narrative that all news media ultimately contribute to: the story of the lead up to, causes of and justification for war.
We are a civilization based on sanctified violence: nowadays that sanctification comes from the news media.
Just to be clear: I am not blaming the media for war. I am also not definitively "anti-war" as I don't know precisely what that means.
- kodah 5y agoAs someone who has been in war, I think war should be reserved for very special circumstances and not driven by public opinion (positive or negative). The US does not have a framework for war that isn't somehow affected by popular opinion though. The current best-effort application is the Joint Chiefs, whom I used to trust when Mattis was involved. Whether the Joint Chiefs can continue to recruit stoics like Mattis is another matter entirely.
- whatshisface 5y agoPublic opinion doesn't drive war. Public support for war is established during the lead-up phase to war by the influence of the dominant institutions.
- kodah 5y agoThere are a lot of things that drive war (or withdrawal), and public opinion is just one. Media is certainly another, and maybe related.