After the shocking events of September 11th American peoples’ lives seemed to change tremendously. In reaction to the attacks, the Bush Administration initiated a “War on Terror” meant to prevent such atrocities from happening again in the future and to stop terrorism once and for all. There was widespread support for the war and after a modest start into his first term as president of the United States, Bush had now also gained far more citizen approval. To maintain steady support, the Bush Administration itself developed effective strategies such as using the media and its power to reach the biggest part of the population. Bush’s ideological and patriotic rhetoric in his reaction to the events of 9/11 aimed at positioning himself as a strong leader and this image was mostly supported by journalists.
This role of the mass media in contributing to the administration’s goal to gain support for its decisions and interests is highly discussed among scholars. Many are convinced that media coverage was influenced by politics and the administration’s manipulation and that it therefore also helped to “sell” the administration’s second war in Iraq to the American public. But by doing so, the media also neglected its most important task, namely acting as an agent between the public and the government and representing public interest. Through supporting and spreading Bush’s strategic use of ideologies and misinformation, the media helped to discourage critique before it could even form. Therefore, I argue that through the Bush Administration's powerfulstrategic manipulation of the mainstream media and the public, critical voices did not even stand a chance to initiate change. By giving up its former purpose, the media has become nothing more than a tool for the government to gain more support for its interests.
However, the reasons for the media’s decline do not only lie in the Bush Administration’s deliberate manipulation through the promotion of fear and ideologies or the construction of an enemy image as well as the silencing of critics. Changes in the media landscape, due to the developing consolidation of media ownership and the emergence of new technologies over a longer period of time made such actions possible in the first place. The news media changed in quality and the content of the news became less objective and aimed more towards being entertaining, while political topics were not covered as much anymore.
Table of Contents
1.Introduction
2. Main Part
2.1 The Bush Administration and the Events of 9/11 Leading to War
2.2 Overview on Protest Music against Bush
2.3 The Role of the Media As Depicted in Protest Songs against the Bush Administration and the Media Coverage
2.3.1 Green Day – “American Idiot”
2.3.2 A Perfect Circle – “Counting Bodies like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums”
2.4 The Changing Role of the Media in America
2.5 The Media’s Role during the Bush Administration
2.5.1 The Media during 9/11 and the Iraq War
3. Conclusion
4. List of Works Cited
Objectives & Core Themes
This paper examines how the Bush Administration utilized mass media strategies and ideological rhetoric following the events of September 11, 2001, to consolidate public support for the "War on Terror" and the subsequent invasion of Iraq, effectively silencing critical dissent. The primary research goal is to analyze the complicity of the media in this process and to investigate how the changing media landscape—characterized by ownership concentration and a shift toward entertainment—facilitated this manipulation.
- Strategic use of patriotic rhetoric and "enemy image" construction by the Bush Administration.
- The impact of media consolidation and corporate ownership on journalistic independence.
- Analysis of protest music (Green Day, A Perfect Circle) as a counter-narrative to mainstream media coverage.
- The "embedding" of journalists and the creation of a "media marketing plan" for war.
- The decline of investigative journalism and the normalization of self-censorship in American media.
Excerpt from the Book
2.3.2 A Perfect Circle – “Counting Bodies like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums”
This sentiment towards the Bush Administration and the media was shared by quite a lot of rock bands during that time. Another example of this would be the band A Perfect Circle and their song “Counting Bodies like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums”. This song was also released in 2004 and is very critical of the Bush Administration and its methods of gaining support for its war. While the lyrics stay quite monotonous and do not have as strong of a message as “American Idiot”, the intention behind the song becomes much clearer by watching the music video (see works cited). Nevertheless, the song makes use of many symbols and never really seems to state its true meaning openly, it’s an appeal to the audience to interpret all the little hints given in the video and the lyrics. At the beginning, the audience sees a peace sign, which is falling apart. The next picture shows an installation for oil extraction, which pumps up blood, instead of oil, while blood begins to pour all over the screen. This is probably an allusion to Bush’s oil business and the role oil played in the invasion of Iraq. As Duffield suggests, oil played a significant role in the Bush Administration’s decision to go to war against Iraq (145).
Throughout the whole video images of television sets are shown with mouths opening and closing or “stealing” children’s brains. This apparently symbolizes the role of the media and how they “feed” the population with information. The televisions are also presented to children who start watching and then turn into sheep. At first, a man who is obviously supposed to portray George W. Bush rides into view on a horse, while a kid is playing outside. He opens a flag on which the letters “G.O.P.” are written. This stands for “Grand Old Party” or the Republican Party. Throughout the entire song Bush is shown luring in children with ice cream in the form of small TV’s or setting their schoolbooks on fire and handing them televisions. Thus, the symbolic “feeding” of information through the media, especially that information that is beneficial to the government and leaving out what could make them question the government’s actions, is again hinted at.
Chapter Summary
1.Introduction: Outlines the research premise, arguing that the Bush Administration manipulated mass media to gain support for post-9/11 policies, thereby neglecting the media's duty to represent public interest.
2. Main Part: Provides an analytical breakdown of the political climate post-9/11, the rhetorical strategies of the administration, and the evolution of the media landscape.
2.1 The Bush Administration and the Events of 9/11 Leading to War: Discusses the shift in Bush's popularity after 9/11 and how the "War on Terror" rhetoric positioned him as a strong leader.
2.2 Overview on Protest Music against Bush: Surveys the reaction within the music industry, specifically Rock and Punk, against the administration’s policies.
2.3 The Role of the Media As Depicted in Protest Songs against the Bush Administration and the Media Coverage: Connects lyrical content to the broader issue of media-driven public manipulation.
2.3.1 Green Day – “American Idiot”: Analyzes how the song criticizes media-fueled hysteria and paranoia.
2.3.2 A Perfect Circle – “Counting Bodies like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums”: Explores how visual symbols in the music video critique the "feeding" of information to a passive public.
2.4 The Changing Role of the Media in America: Examines how deregulation and corporate consolidation transformed journalism into an entertainment-focused industry.
2.5 The Media’s Role during the Bush Administration: Synthesizes previous findings to show how the government exerted control over media content.
2.5.1 The Media during 9/11 and the Iraq War: Investigates the specific mechanics of biased reporting, the "embedding" of reporters, and the psychological impact on the American audience.
3. Conclusion: Summarizes the study’s findings, confirming that the media failed its democratic role and functioned as an inadvertent tool for state propaganda.
4. List of Works Cited: Provides the comprehensive bibliography of primary and secondary sources used in the research.
Keywords
George W. Bush, 9/11, Iraq War, Mass Media, Propaganda, Media Consolidation, Neoconservatism, Political Rhetoric, Protest Music, Green Day, A Perfect Circle, Journalism, Censorship, Patriot Act, American Exceptionalism
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this thesis?
The work investigates the symbiotic, often manipulative relationship between the Bush Administration and the American mass media in the years following the September 11 terrorist attacks, specifically focusing on how this partnership was used to build support for the Iraq War.
What are the primary themes discussed?
Key themes include media consolidation, the decline of investigative journalism, the strategic use of emotional and patriotic rhetoric, the construction of "enemy images," and the role of popular culture in challenging or supporting government narratives.
What is the author's central research goal?
The paper aims to demonstrate that the Bush Administration successfully turned the mass media into a propaganda tool, which prevented meaningful political dissent and misled the public about the justifications for the Iraq War.
Which methodology is employed in this research?
The author uses a qualitative analysis approach, combining historical context and media theory with a cultural study of protest music. It compares political speeches against the media coverage and thematic analysis of song lyrics and music videos.
What does the main body of the work cover?
The main part details the political climate after 9/11, provides a historical overview of changes in media ownership, analyzes specific protest songs as societal critique, and examines how government "marketing plans" successfully influenced public perception.
Which keywords best describe the focus of this work?
Key terms include Propaganda, Media Consolidation, Iraq War, Bush Administration, Political Rhetoric, and Protest Music.
How does the author define the "media-ocracy"?
The author refers to this term to describe a state where the lines between the military, the government, and the media are blurred, resulting in a system where the media serves the interests of power rather than acting as a watchdog for the public.
What role did protest music play during this period?
Protest music acted as a counter-narrative, revealing the public's latent skepticism. Artists like Green Day and A Perfect Circle used their platform to accuse the government and media of manipulation, though the author notes these voices were often marginalized by corporate-owned radio stations.
How did "embedding" impact journalism?
The system of embedding reporters with troops led to decreased neutrality, as journalists developed closer bonds with the military units they accompanied, ultimately prioritizing supportive narratives over objective reporting.
- Quote paper
- Katharina Gerhardt (Author), 2016, ''One Nation Controlled by the Media''. The Role of the Media in America after 9/11, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1609099
