[Media-watch] study into spin on Iraq war

[David McKnight]

Study into 'spinning' of Iraq war coverage 

Matt Wells, media correspondent
Thursday August 26, 2004
The Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1291017,00.html

The influence of the government's media machine on the coverage of the Iraq war is to be examined by academics. 
Researchers from Liverpool and Leeds universities will analyse the government's "spin" practices, comparing them with what appeared in print and on air during the five weeks of the main conflict. 

They also hope to interview many of those involved, including journalists, news executives and members of the government and military communications machine. 

Coverage of the war was polarised between pro- and anti-war newspapers, and there was much debate about whether broadcast news accurately reflected the different views about the war. 

Piers Robertson of Liverpool University's school of politics and communication studies said yesterday that the study was intended to inform debate within the government about wartime information management, and to stimulate debate in the media about the quality of coverage during the war. 

"The first thing is to assess the range of debate that took place in the media - the degree of controversy, and [to gain] an overall picture of how far things moved from a limited debate over tactics to widespread discussion over the motives for going to war," he said. "The second thing is to look at the media management strategies, and what agendas there were. We expect to find quite a lot of variation." 

The study will take 18 months to complete, but initial results are expected within a year. Dr Robertson said: "Our findings will contribute to broader debates surrounding mass-mediated politics, the government's use of 'spin', and consequent concerns regarding legitimacy and the democratic process." 

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