Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The Gulf War of 1991 was the highest profile media war in history. Never before had so many journalists attempted to cover a war from both sides of the conflict. This book traces the role of the media in the Gulf War and examines the attempts by both the coalition and Iraq to influence public opinion through propaganda and persuasion. Philp Taylor asks how much the public was being told and how much was held back. Analyzing the key news stories of the conflict he looks at the efforts of the American-led coalition to persuade television audiences and newspaper readers to take a "right view" of what was happening and of the Iraqi government's propaganda campaigns concerning civilian damage and the "Mother of all Battles."

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Introduction: Image and Reality in the Gulf War
• 'A Controlled Information Environment': Allied Media Management in the Gulf War
• Reporters Under Fire: Iraqi Media Mismanagement in the Gulf War
• War on the Mind: Preparing for the Ground Offensive
• 'Collateral Damage:' The Air War and the Issue of Civilian Casualties
• 'Apocalypse Where?:' The 100 Hour Land War and the 'Highway to Hell'
• Conclusion

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

This book by a British communications specialist emphasizes the British media more than they deserve, given America's predominant role in the war. Relying mainly on secondary sources rather than on interviews with media and military representatives, Taylor dryly documents how the Gulf war was more hidden than revealed by the media. He analyzes allied media management, including the pool system for reporters, and Saddam Hussein's failure to exploit the presence of the media. Taylor offers numerous examples of media mistakes, including the erroneous representation of oil-drenched birds as victims of the Iraqi oil spill and journalists' inability to translate military jargon about bombing sorties. Perhaps most useful are case studies of controversial instances of coverage, including the Iraqi takeover of a Saudi town and the bombing of Iraqi civilians at what might have been a bunker. This book leaves numerous holes, little exploring, for instance, why so few pictures of Iraqi casualties were shown in the West. Taylor's conclusions about the unanimity of news coverage and the debate over the right to know versus the need to know simply reprise often-stated criticisms. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

CHOICE Review

Relying heavily on the collection at the University of Leeds of 10,500 hours of videotapes of news coverage of the Gulf War of 1991, Taylor presents an interesting and important study of that much televised war. He demonstrates clearly that viewers around the world did not really see the war--generally they saw only what the governments permitted the media to show. Examining the interaction between the press corps and the authorities in the various capitals, including Baghdad, the author concentrates attention on the battle for Khafji, the bombing of the Amiriya shelter in Baghdad, the battle of Mutlah Gap, and the degree of collateral damage in Iraq. Throughout the coverage of these and other issues in January and February 1991, the governments, learning from alleged mistakes made during the Vietnam War, easily manipulated the journalists. Taylor also pays attention to the polls to measure the effectiveness of the governments' propaganda efforts and offers valuable insights into the way that modern electronic media operate. All levels of readers.