How We Cover Conflict – Western Media at War in the 21st Century
The presentation will look at - among others - the ways in which our understanding of war changed with the rise of visual storytelling.
Date and Time: 10 May 2023, 5.20 PM
Venue: Corvinus, Building C, Lecture Hall IX.
Language: English
Fulbright Visiting Professor Molly Dugan‘s public lecture entitled “How We Cover Conflict – Western Media at War in the 21st Century”
The 21st century has provided a seemingly intimate picture of global, U.S. and NATO-led military conflicts to the viewer, thanks to 24-hour TV news stations, advanced photographic imaging and a wealth of foreign correspondents. But in truth, the average viewer is served a very restricted diet of information, largely dependent on limited access from governments, corporate media’s competition for a fickle audience and a small cadre of journalists with similar cultural backgrounds and Western sensibilities. This presentation considers how the fog of war has only grown thicker with the use of smart phones (and social media.) At a time when it appears we have an infinite amount of information at our fingertips, we often understand less about the causes of war and what’s happening on the battlefield.
This presentation looks at the ways in which our understanding of war changed with the rise of visual storytelling and how governments work with corporate media organizations to keep the most controversial and gruesome elements of war hidden from view. At the same time, the local journalists who are best qualified to illustrate the deprivations and complexities of military conflict are often denied a platform in the global media, leaving us with a shallow understanding of the wars around us.
Tag: Middle East, Ukraine
