Publication Type: Session Presentation
Abstract: Spoken language is the bridge that connects people and cultures to one another. If you are interested in improving student speaking proficiency, our LAPS (Language Assesment and Practice Software) Program which was developed through Pittsburgh Public Schools' FLAP grants, will be of interest to you. Attendees will receive a CD and handouts of sample tests and practice activities.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: The 2003 Iraq War was unique, both in the degree of political and popular dissent expressed throughout the British media and in the extensive efforts required by government to mobilize support for war in the face of widespread domestic opposition. These controversial events occurred against the backdrop of broader debates surrounding mass-mediated politics, the government’s use of ‘spin’ and consequent concerns regarding legitimacy and the democratic process. At the heart of these debates lies a central question of the extent to which media were able to maintain autonomy during the crisis or, conversely, the extent to which the government was able to influence media reporting. This paper reports the findings of an extensive content and framing analysis of UK news media (both print and TV) reporting of the 2003 Iraq War. Drawing upon the seminal work of Hallin (1986) into media coverage of the Vietnam War and studies of UK media coverage of General Elections (Goddard et al 1998), the paper identifies the contours of framing in British TV and newspaper news of the war, uncovering the range, autonomy and boundaries to debate across media outlets, the extent to which news coverage reflected elite sources and news management strategies as well as dissenting voices, and the relative salience of justifications for the war. The research found evidence of a substantial degree of procedural criticism across UK media outlets in which media challenged official narratives regarding humanitarian operations, casualties and law and order. Much of this criticism was located within specific media outlets. However coverage was, at the aggregate level, supportive of the military campaign and tended to reinforce official justifications for the war including the claim that Iraq possessed WMD and the moral case for regime change. Overall, the study demonstrates a robust and sensitive approach that enables a detailed and nuanced portrait of media performance. In order to develop a more complete empirical and theoretical account of wartime media-state relations, the framework here can be applied to pre and post conflict media coverage during the 2003 Iraq War as well as both earlier conflicts and potential future ones.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript