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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/dsp01qz20sv83t
Title: MEDIA AT WAR: A COMPARISON OF EMBEDDED AND NON-EMBEDDED JOURNALISTS’ COVERAGE OF THE IRAQ WAR
Authors: Feng, Lixue (Lily)
Advisors: Nash, William
Department: Woodrow Wilson School
Class Year: 2015
Abstract: This paper compares embedded and non-embedded reporters’ coverage of the Iraq War between March 20 and May 1, 2003. The goal is to see which type of reporting is a more effective means of war coverage in increasing the American public’s understanding of the Iraq war. Various scholars have proposed that embedded reporting could either help or prevent the American public from gaining a comprehensive understanding of the war, and the main debating points include the scope of embedded reports’ perspectives and the objectivity of reporters in accurately reflecting the war reality. This paper conducts comparisons between embedded and non-embedded reports from both newspaper and television sources based on three dimensions: topic analysis, number of perspectives in reports and narratives’ consistency with post-2003 reality in Iraq. Specifically for the narrative analysis, the paper examines which type of report better reflects or anticipates four issues in post-invasion Iraq: a lack of positive civilian responses, a lack of positive progress in reconstruction efforts, the rise of an Iraqi insurgency and the absence of weapons of massive destruction (WMD). This paper finds that embedded reports do report vivid stories from the frontline. However, compared to non-embedded reports, they are in fact more limited in terms of topic coverage, perspective included and in anticipating the post-invasion reality. These findings suggest that though embedded reporting has its value, it captures an incomplete picture of the war. It should be combined with non-embedded reporting in order to better inform the American public about the war.
Extent: 128 pages
URI: http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/dsp01qz20sv83t
Type of Material: Princeton University Senior Theses
Language: en_US
Appears in Collections:Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, 1929-2023

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